jigokulogs | [closed] karma's a bitch

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[closed] karma's a bitch

Who ⬤ Nehan and Six
What ⬤ It's time for two dumb clanmates to work on this messed-up relationship of theirs.
When ⬤ Early May.
Where ⬤ In an alleyway somewhere.
Content Warnings ⬤ Blood, violence, most likely traumadumping from both of them. Others TBA.

[nehan has been baring his fangs more often since he arrived in jigoku-cho. he doesn't care to, but sometimes he just has to in order to make himself look more intimidating than he looks, when he's so small and many youkai who are scrapping for a fight out in the streets tend to judge a book by its cover. it's annoying, having to pull back his lips over his teeth and exercise muscles that are too lethagic to move, but... oh well.

he snaps at some youkai who he remembers from his first week in jigoku-cho, and they certainly remember him because they're demanding their money back, or a rematch-- or both.]

I won that off of you fair and square-- you shouldn't have challenged me if you didn't want to lose your wallets. [then he sneers and raises his hands, ready to fight again.] And you shouldn't have done it a second time.

[unfortunately, with three large youkai bearing down on him, all with weapons, nehan knows this will not end well for him. still, he cannot go down easily, because he knows there's no way for this to end but badly-- but if he fights, he can give as much as he gets, and perhaps mauling them will actually get it into their thick heads that he's no someone to be trifled with.

in fact, when one of them hits him in the temple, he staggers once before lashing out blindly and manages to rake his fangs over the youkai's knuckles and draws first blood.]

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[nehan's eyes are drawn to the blooming red around six's hand, and then places his own hand over the youkai's face, digging his nails into it as if he's about to scratch the skin off.]

He was stupid enough to try and fight me again after I made sure he wouldn't be able to make children. What makes you think he's smart?

[but he doesn't rake nails along the youkai's face like he wants to-- simply drops the man... and then digs his heel into the youkai's chest. might have broken bone-- if he did, then they had better have a doctor who is not nehan on hand, because he's already turning to six and making demands, pointing at his wound and the hand over it.]

Keep that there, and follow me.

[ the youkai is lucky today, that nehan even bothered to listened this much to six. he scrambles out of their reach and out of sight. six doesn't try to question nehan's orders and simply nods, putting more pressure on his wound. he may be a little woozy but he's sure he'll be fine if he focuses on anything else but the pain. ]

... Yeah.

[ that's all he says before following after the other erune. he's not sure where they're headed though. ]

[nehan's apartment is too far from here, even if it would be more secure for patching six up in. he will have to do some first aid now, and then follow it up later.

he heads up the nearest fire escape, looking back every several steps to make sure six is still keeping up.]

[ through the sheer force of his will, six manages to keep up with nehan. this becomes difficult once he has to go up the fire escape but he soldiers on, not wanting to be a burden to the other erune. he hasn't lost that much blood so he's sure he'll be fine...

if he wobbles out of balance, he tries not to let it get to him. ]

Where are we going...?

Shut up. [a snap in his tone, to accompany a particularly loud step onto the next stair. he doesn't want stupid questions right now, but when every question coming out of six's mouth is obnoxiously stupid and lacking in the regular karm sense...

nehan is silent until the reach the rooftop-- the mercifully empty rooftop, where no one can see them, and rummages through the items in his coat for medical supplies.]

Top off.

[ it's like he never knows what to say around nehan. he keeps his mouth shut even when told to take off his shirt. it can be done quietly, deft hands lifting up his shirt to show the extent of the damage. it's a clean cut to his side, with the blade having successfully dug into his skin deep enough to draw out that much blood.

this is such a strange scenario to be in. nehan was so set on being the one to kill him out of revenge, so what's happening right now is barely making any sense. he doesn't know why nehan is even bothering with helping him right here and now.

he keeps his mouth shut regardless. ]

[nehan clicks his tongue when he sees the wound-- it may need stitches, he thinks, but his tools for such a thing are at his apartment. but they'll see once they arrive there, if the blood will soak through the bandages despite the pressure.

he pulls out a wad of gauze from his pockets, as well as tape, a roll and a bottle of alcohol... which he immediately sprays around the wound, without even a warning.]

[ if the sudden pain bothers six, the only thing that happens is a soft hiss escaping his lips. he barely reacts to it otherwise, as if used to it. he lets nehan work quietly without bothering him too much. he'll move his hands away if he must, to let the other get a better look at what he's treating.

but he remains silent all the same. it's not like he knows what's there to talk about anyway... ]

[with quiet, methodical work-- why cant every patient be like this?-- nehan manages to wrap up six's wound, and tug the wrapping tight. he wishes he could cut off six's circulation like this... but no, he wants to kill the man in a satisfying way, and this is not satisfying.]

We're moving. You likely need stitches, and I don't have the equipment on me right now. Keep putting pressure on the wound until we get to my apartment.

[ once the bandages are wrapped around him, six's hand returns to apply pressure directly above the wound. he blinks up at nehan with a confused look, and even though he knows better, he finally says something. ]

... Nehan. Why are you helping me?

[ didn't the other erune want him dead? ]

[with a soft growl from deep in his chest, nehan looks up at six, meeting his purple eyes.]

Because if I didn't, you'd die, all because some idiot brought a knife to a fist fight, and you got in the way. [he speaks slowly, enunciating each word clearly because he knows six has some (a lot) trouble with understanding basic concepts.]

I told you, didn't I? I want you to suffer-- only at my hand. By that logic, you can only die by my hand.

[ six remains silent for the longest time. it's almost as if he couldn't make sense of what nehan just said, but in the end, he accepts it and just nods mutely. in a way, he understands why the other erune is going about it in this way — nehan deserves to be the one to kill him, given what he took away from the other erune. ]

Alright. I'll stay alive until then.

[ until nehan decides when it's time, six is going to fight tooth and nail just to make sure this is how he dies.

for the time being, however, he'll follow nehan back to his apartment. ]

[nehan closes his eyes and shakes his head, because he doubts six actually will do it, stupid as he is. but, like six, he is quiet until he returns to his apartment deep within tamamo territory, seedy as the rest of them and smelling faintly of musk.

nehan has contributed a bit to that smell, himself.

his apartment is tiny, merely a rectangular shape divided into sections, and has no sign of individuality or the personality of its owner, except for the potted plants lining the windowsill and his single table. he points imperiously at the lone zabuton in front of the table.]

Sit.

Edited 2022-05-17 03:33 (UTC)

[ nehan's apartment looks almost identical to six, save for the potted plants lining the windowsill. the lack of personality speaks to a lack of attachment that both erunes appear to have in common, but six knows better than to bring that up. he's sure the last thing nehan wants to hear is that the murder of his family can relate to him.

he perks up when he's directed to settle on the zabuton, doing so quietly and without much fanfare. his shirt is the first thing he tries to take off since he figures nehan will need him to do that again anyway, if this wound is meant to be stitched together.

he'll try not to wince as he does so, and when he's done, he waits quietly for nehan's next instruction. ]

[nehan has a small toolbox sitting right out in the open, and he takes it up now, opening it to reveal his tools of the trade-- bandages, medicines, shears, tape. all medical tools. it's what he's managed to gather during his time here, with what funds he could spare. after all, plants aren't cheap to buy nor to raise, and medical equipment are just... inflated.

first, the erune starts by inspecting his hard work... and then undoing it. he takes a pair of shears to the wrappings around six's waist, and tugs away the pad he'd pressed against the wound. it's seeping through the white cloth, so of course simple bandages wouldn't do anything.

he tosses the soiled bandages into an opaque plastic bag.]

I need you to lean back against something, and relax.

[ the tools are all laid out before them.

six has been hurt and bruised enough times to know how much this is going to hurt. it doesn't really bother him, but that's only because he's grown used to it. what does strike him as strange is the fact that nehan is the one helping him. he knows he's asked the other erune why plenty of times but it still doesn't make any sense.

he nods quietly, leaning against the table behind him. the tension leaves his body for the time being. ]

I'm ready.

[the only way for nehan to be even more prepared is if he had gloves. but he doesn't, he has to do this in a less safe manner.

he rubs alcohol into his hands before he threads the needle, and takes it into his forceps. six doesn't need warning, and nehan gives none, so he merely starts-- immediately. pushes the needle in, out, until he's stitched the wound closed and wrapped it up in more gauze.

all in silence. but when he's done and cleaned up his hands, he fixes six with a glare.]

What were you thinking, putting yourself before me? Or were you not?

[ the pain is sharp and biting, but it's nothing he hasn't experienced before. he grits his teeth together to keep his mouth shut, remaining steady and immovable until nehan finishes his work. he finds himself breathing heavily if only to remember what it's like to relax.

it happens shortly after a few more painful moments. ]

I... [ he wasn't thinking, of course, but nehan already knew that. ] I didn't want you to get hurt. I don't have a better reason than that.

[ it might not be a satisfying answer either, but it's the truth at the very least. ]

[nehan doesn't believe that. he doesn't believe in altruism, he doesn't believe that sentiment would drive someone to do such a thing. he's spent far too long in the deepest dredges of humanity to even have such innocent, whimsical ideas.]

Is it truly that simple? [he leans into six, glaring.] Even after what I've done, and what I tried?

Even after everything.

[ the way six says it almost sounds like it's the most obvious answer in the world. he feels bad he doesn't have anything better to say, but he figures speaking plainly and honestly might count for something. ]

I want you to stay alive, [ long enough for you to kill me, if that's what you want— ] so I got in the way.

Even after you killed me, that day in Stardust?

[because after thinking it over and reviewing his memories over and over again, that's the only conclusion he can come to.]

I didn't... I didn't kill you...?

[ this is something that has been on six's mind ever since they got here. is that what happened? but he thought—

he doesn't really know what he's supposed to think. it all made no sense. ]

When I gave you that drug, I turned my back on you. [matter-of-fact, like he's not actually talking about his own mortality.] Clearly, it was a mistake.

You do not remember?

[ six can only shake his head, ears going flat. ]

I didn't. The captain and Siete... They came to stop me, so I thought...

[ he thought he died, by their hands. ]

Perhaps you don't remember, because you are the last I saw. [he only knows that particular captain and the head of the eternals by seeing them from afar, when he was still sneaking about stardust town in order to find information and an opening to hurt six.]

I gave you Trancensia after all, and you have a history of reacting badly to it.

... I wouldn't have killed you, no matter what. The others would have stopped me before that happens.

[ it's all he has to offer, even if his mind is a mess given the information he has now. ]

I'm sorry.

[ they're all empty words, he knows that, and yet they're all he has. ]

[nehan shakes his head. only six could have killed him, and he will refuse this abject denial of what can only be the truth.]

But you're dead too. My revenge is somewhat complete. [then he balls his hands into fists.]

And here I did not get to do it myself.

Is that what you still want?

[ after asking, he looks down at where nehan stitched him up. he knows why the erune did it, because he wanted to be the one to kill six, but given this new development...

he wouldn't stop nehan, if he says yes right now.]

... Yes. [but it rankles his pride that if he takes it now, he wouldn't have earned it. rankles that if he does it later, after working for it, it's still pointless because they're both dead anyway. what difference would it make in the grand scheme of things?]

But what message would it send, here, when your people are not here?

It shouldn't matter if they aren't here.

[ in a way, six understands why nehan would only see it as worth the trouble if there were others to suffer the loss. six was the one who took his family away from him, after all, so it was only right for revenge to be paid in kind — for those closest to him to be the ones to shoulder the blow. ]

If it's what you want, then I'll let you have it.

[ he won't fight back. ]

It does matter. [because of course six wouldn't understand.

nehan inhales deeply, and releases it in a long, slow exhale. this is all terrible, and he feels like all his anger is just gone, leaving only a weight that's threatening to bury him in the ground if he is less vigilant for even a moment.]

Without them to torture, you wouldn't get to suffer the way I did. Revenge is meaningless, but I would have gotten something out of it, anyway.

But now that is beyond me.

[ it's difficult to say if there's anything he can do to make nehan feel... better? he just looks so tired, and six just finds himself at a loss on how to help. ]

Then... is there anything I can do...? I don't know if I'll be able to make up for what I've done to you, but I'd like to try, if that's alright.

What can you do? [nehan shrugs, before turning away to organize his kit again and put it away.]

Revenge will do nothing in the end, except assuage feelings that... never mattered in the first place. And both of us are dead-- the Karm clan is finally gone.

... Even if we're dead, you and I are still here, aren't we? Shouldn't that count for something?

[ it's hard to explain what he means by that, if only because this is nehan he's talking to. he doesn't know if the other erune will even believe anything that comes out of his mouth. ]

If we can start over...

Start over. [nehan's tone is borderline a sneer, for all that he looks tired, sitting down and resting against the pile of linen and cushions that make up his folded futon.] Is there anything to start over with, given how we started?

[then he sighs and scrubs his hands over his face.]

... Fine.

Edited 2022-05-26 08:48 (UTC)

[ six is just as uncertain, but even if he's given the chance, he wouldn't take back what he suggested. he does perk up a little when nehan agrees. ]

Then, we'll figure it out... together, right?

[ if nothing else, they'll have the time. ]

[nehan sighs softly, looking up at the ceiling before he moves his head back down and fixes six with a look.]

Fine. But I do not have the energy for you for the rest of today, and you are not spending the night. [then he digs through his supplies again and grabs a pack of paper towels, tossing it at six.]

Keep the area clean for two days.

[ quietly, he catches the towels tossed his way. he knows the meaning behind nehan's words — while he can't stay tonight, at least next time is guaranteed. ]

Ah... I'll do that.

[ he rises to his feet slowly, careful not to aggravate the neat stitches nehan left behind on his body. somehow, he feels warm and fuzzy just thinking about how the other erune's hands felt on his kin. ]

... I owe you one, Nehan. I'll come back.

[ he doesn't have much more to say to that before he turns to leave. it's enough. ]

Edited 2022-05-27 11:20 (UTC)

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[closed] karma's a bitch

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