smash_logs | your path is chosen, you have no choice

Entry tags:

your path is chosen, you have no choice

Who: Kiyotaka, Zero
What: To prevent a bad end future of grizzled apocalypse hobos using swords to fight shadow monsters, Kitty takes up the blade to learn to fight shadow monsters.
When: SSSOMETIME mid-late October.
Where: Stadium.
Warnings: 80s training montages.

Kiyotaka's arm may have healed to the point that he could easily use it without pain anymore, but the scar remained, a puckered line of red that stood out boldly against his skin. He didn't mind the mark. It was a good reminder of the importance of being prepared, of not going into dangerous territory without proper knowledge of defending himself. A reminder of why he vowed to learn. Not only to protect himself, but others, too.

Likewise, the sky island he sustained the injury on cast its own scar on the schoolyard, and presently the shadow was positioned just over the open stadium. Kiyotaka stepped into the dark patch, his fingers flexing around the grip of the beam sword in his hand, not unlike the one he'd tried to use up there. The one he terminated a Primid with.

Killed it.

As long as the world followed a twisted rule of kill or be killed, he had to learn to follow along with it, one way or another. Ideally, he would stick to the path that resulted in the fewest casualties.

In retrospect, maybe it was a little strange that he chose to learn from someone who slaughtered so many with ease. But he hadn't let go of the idea that learning the moves of a possible opponent like that would be the wisest decision he could make in any of this nonsense. He exhaled, moving his gaze from the sword to his instructor.

"I'm ready for the first lesson!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The stadium was the obvious choice for training in, and Zero was currently at a console, inputting new default settings that would register when the two of them were active. They were just the basics to make sure no one would be irreparably hurt - Zero's damage output was at minimum, healing items would be dispensed at the end of each session, and in the event that anyone was knocked out or fatally injured, they would be automatically resuscitated.

Zero was still dubious about this whole teaching thing, to be honest, but Kiyotaka simply wouldn't let go of the idea. It was true that the boy had gotten hurt under the reploid's watch, so he did feel some lingering responsibility - but it was the words of the human's future counterpart that troubled him the most. Maybe some things were fated. And if they were, then at least he could make sure that Kiyotaka was armed to fight it.

For today, they were both armed with beam swords, courtesy of the stadium, for this initial step.

Once Zero was finished with set up, he walked onto the fighting stage. "First things first: I'll be assessing your skills," he said, picking up a longsword model with a shining blue blade. "This is not a spar. Come at me as though I were your enemy. Understood?"

Kiyotaka had read over the stadium manual several times. By now he knew how it worked, but not how it worked. Technology was never really his forte, but he was positive there was nothing quite like this anywhere back home. Not even in development. Either way, he was relieved for the stadium's safety settings, even though he could never feel any change when they were activated.

That kind of thing made it dangerous. What if somebody were to lie about having turned them on one day?

That was a startling and dark thought to have. He shoved it out of his mind, or at least into a place where he wouldn't have it resurface, and watched Zero carefully.

"You want me to just attack you?" He'd been in a few scraps and dire situations during his time here that called for desperate blows of self-defense, but he'd never been the one to initiate anything. Not like this. It felt wrong, making the first move.

But it was something he knew could be necessary and life-saving in the right situation. He hefted his sword and swallowed. "--Right. Understood! Here goes!"

Though his approach was quick enough, even a complete novice watching could have spotted his hesitance and reluctance from a mile away. It was stupid, considering he'd seen what Zero was capable of-- that he was well able to defend himself. Still Kiyotaka's swing lacked conviction behind it, and there was no clear mark for the lightblade beyond " probably somewhere on Zero's general person."

And that made it all too easy to dodge. Zero side-stepped, feeling a little disappointed by the lackluster swing. Too weak, utterly lacking in certainty.

Most likely, he needed some help in getting into the correct mindset. Pain, fear, the threat of death or failure - they were probably the easiest motivators that could be applied as a way of performing under pressure. It wasn't that Zero wanted to be cruel necessarily, but Kiyotaka needed incentive to perform with more decisiveness.

The reploid counterattacked, slashing his amateur opponent across the chest. It would've been a fatal blow, if this had been a real clash. Even on the lowest setting, the cutting laser of his blade stung like hell, enough to stun the body for a split second.

"You're dead," Zero deadpanned. "Try again."

Edited (dead dead) 2014-10-27 08:00 (UTC)

"Nnghaaah!"

Even with the safety on, that hurt. For the briefest moment he couldn't even inhale, and when that moment passed, his breath was sharp and heavy. That was with the safety on. He clapped a hand to his chest, positive he'd be bleeding, but his skin remained intact. He wondered if his shirt would have been that lucky, if he'd chosen to wear one. ~~But he felt like more of a badass this way.~~

"G...Got it...!"

At least Zero made it quite clear he wasn't fucking around. Avoiding another hit like that was good motivation. Okay, he could get serious about landing a blow for himself. Smacking a delinquent with bamboo, smacking a robot with ... whatever technology made this sword possible, surely it was all the same.

He lunged again, taking a swing for Zero's chest this time, more like he was trying to split a watermelon than do anything like what he'd just been hit with.

Better, but it didn't flow naturally enough. The force behind it was real, but it was stiff, rehearsed - not practical enough to be viable in true combat. The movement of the blade had to adapt and learn constantly through the course of battle, to simply move as though you were practicing a kata made you inflexible. Predictability was weakness.

Zero blocked, but did not counter. It was an invitation to strike him again, as many times as needed until he was satisfied. How well could Kiyotaka adjust his offensive maneuvers?

Unfortunately, getting Kiyotaka to break away from rigid, structured form - whether it be in battle or just in life itself - was a trial in itself. He was intelligent enough to pick out right away that his current approach wasn't working, but his complete inexperience and poor adaptability didn't do a lot of good in getting creative. As it was, the best he could do was try to strike at different angles, from different positions. It didn't take long for his frustration to become apparent, all reddened face and grit teeth.

At least boxing club did wonders for his footwork as he danced around Zero, trying to land even just one hit.

Poor improvisational skills in combat, but at least he could move. The former would just be something they had to work on - that was something that had to be forged through experience in order to become second nature - but Zero wanted to keep testing his maneuverability.

The reploid's dash boots activated, giving him a short burst of speed that turned him into a red blur. He reappeared behind Kiyotaka, measuring how long it took for a human's reflexes to react. Was this growing frustration a hindrance for him, or did he possess the skill to use it as fuel for his fire?

Reflexes that weren't instantaneous were absolutely useless. That made itself clear back in Hope's Peak, when a hammer struck him from behind. His new scar was a much more merciful reminder.

Still, his reaction was much quicker than it had been in either incident. He wasn't blinded by grief and fury, and he wasn't stunned by the act of killing, so having his focus be entirely on following Zero did help him in that regard. There was something else that powered his turn - not the former frustration and desire to win, but something more like fear.

More accurately, a flash of genuine terror.

It didn't make sense. He already knew he was perfectly safe in the stadium, and that Zero so far hadn't made any other moves to strike him. But something about not being able to see him, even for a second, absolutely terrified him for reasons his conscious mind couldn't even fathom. Rather than raise his blade to try to hit his opponent, he angled it in defense, even taking a startled step backward. But just as quickly as the feeling came it vanished entirely, replaced by confusion.

"Hahh-?"

Perhaps leaving him a little too disoriented to defend himself.

Edited (rereading things in the morning and finding errors = awesome) 2014-10-28 13:07 (UTC)

...Interesting.

There was an opening, but Zero did not take it - instead, he was almost as surprised as his student. That wasn't what he'd expected Kiyotaka to do. Most beginners would blindly turn around and keep attacking, thinking of nothing but staying on the offensive. However, to fall back on the defensive when an enemy was behind you was far from an incorrect play. Quite the opposite, in fact - it was a valuable reflex for surviving, especially if you were fighting against a superior foe.

Zero took a step back and waited for Kiyotaka to regain his bearings. "So, you do have instinct..." Now he had to figure out a way to bring it out of him...

Zero made it sound like a good thing. At the time, it felt anything but... But if he'd done something right, he wouldn't overthink it except to pinpoint the why and how and figure out how he could do it again. As far as Kiyotaka could tell, it probably was just instinct - wouldn't anyone feel nervous with a threat behind them?

But Zero wasn't a threat...

He lowered his blade, then raised it, then lowered it again. "Do you want me to keep going?"

Zero was mistaking Kiyotaka's confusion for simple inexperience, but either way, results were results. So far the boy had been lacklustre on the offensive, but perhaps this was a sign that he had a more innate knack for staying on defense. It made a certain amount of sense - he'd wanted to learn the sword to protect people, so most likely he simply didn't have the stomach to attack without reason.

That being the case, he wanted to try pushing that instinct out some more. The reploid brandished his sword, signalling a change of tactics. "Do it again. Defend yourself."

This time, Zero would be the one attacking - a simple three slash sword combo to start, just to see how well Kiyotaka could read him.

Edited (repeated word) 2014-10-28 22:35 (UTC)

This was still something he had a total lack of experience in, but for all his graceless, panicky efforts to keep Zero's blade away, he took to it a lot more easily than he did before. Unsurprisingly, he was far more interested in keeping himself from getting hurt than he was in actively trying to hurt someone else. But there was a lingering, dreamlike familiarity to it, though he couldn't place it.

He'd been feeling that a lot lately.

Perhaps letting instinct and reflex guide was a mistake. Without thinking about it, he brought his free hand up to steady the blade on the last blow, rewarded only with searing pain across his fingers. Maybe it would have worked better with a sword that wasn't made of lasers. He yelped and pulled his hand back, prancing backwards for a quick break. Nothing was severed, of course, but damn it hurt.

Er, perhaps relying fully on instinct without thinking did work against you like that. Zero pulled away, and waited for Kiyotaka to recover. It'd be best if he got himself a real sword soon... and not a double edged one.

Still, he must've had some measure of insight to know that the final strike of the combo would be the strongest. Or had that been just a fluke? He'd certainly become a bit more flexible while on the defensive - still rough, but it was a much better showing than his stiff excuse for an offensive assault. There was something to work with.

Thank goodness, too, because Zero knew he was not nearly competent enough of a teacher to nurture a completely hopeless case. (There were some people who weren't cut out to fight, that was just a fact.)

Watching his would-be student with an expressionless stare, Zero asked, "Do you need a break?" How long did a human's stamina last, anyway?

Maybe an average human being would be starting to get a little breathless by now, but Kiyotaka was stubbornness incarnate. He could last several hours in a sauna before passing out, he could definitely keep up a swordfight for at least half as long. Maybe a break would have been wise to let his fingers recover or to think about how things had gone so far and what changes he should make in future spars. But a real life-or-death struggle wouldn't allow for any breaks, and he had to prepare for that! Besides, he was still riding high on adrenaline.

And the subconscious feeling that he couldn't let his guard down around Zero even for that.

"I can go as long as I need to!" So he said, anyway.

Well, if he insisted. Zero brandished his sword again. "Very well. I'm going to come at you again. Try to land a hit on me."

That meant time-out was officially over. The reploid went on the offense again, swing after swing testing Kiyotaka's mettle. He was holding back just enough in strength and speed so that the human could keep up, but also sticking to a simple attack pattern. If the boy was paying attention, then he should've been able to identify the rhythm and the openings that Zero deliberately left for him.

After that, it was just a question of how quickly his student could take advantage of it - or whether he'd be worn down before then.

His hand still stung, but at least he would be making an effort not to make things any worse this time. Now that he had a much better idea of what he should expect in defending himself, matching Zero's hits came even more naturally than before, but the hitting him back part... How was he supposed to do that?

He caught on to the pattern quick enough. It was just a matter of figuring out when the best time to strike back would be and where he should hit. The pattern looped through its cycle a few times, leaving Kiyotaka confident enough to tear his gaze away from the blades to take a closer look at the rest of Zero. His... torso, maybe? Okay, Kiyotaka was going to go for it.

With exactly the kind of timing that would end up in him taking a hit, too. So close.

If this had been a duel with real blades, then that would've been quite a risk Kiyotaka was taking - more him than Zero, anyway. An injury was a lot more crippling to a human than it was for a machine. The reploid could see it coming, but there was one final thing he wanted to test first.

So that was when his attack pattern shifted, just enough to widen the opening that Kiyotaka was aiming for. Any hint of hesitation, and the attack would fail. Zero wanted to feel how much conviction he could put behind his sword in this one critical moment.

It wasn't an awful swing, all things considered. The timing could have been better and he could have picked a better spot to go for, but as for the force and speed itself? Passable. But still held back enough that he could stop it in time to soften the blow considerably. But surely the fact that he was ready to let it connect at all had to count for something, right?

(No, not really. Not like this.)

There was definitely a lot of work to be done on that front.

There was a flash of static as the blade cut through Zero's body - the damage disruption was enough to make him wince, but his systems recovered quickly enough that the pain didn't linger. Even still, it seemed like Kiyotaka's swing slowed down just at the very last second. Had it actually been a metal sword and not a laser construct, the slash might not have pierced all the way.

"You held back," he commented with a note of disapproval. Zero didn't wait for a response though - instead, he returned on the offensive, slashing at the student with new speed. If Kiyotaka's attacks were going to flinch, then the reploid was doing to dial it up each time to put on the pressure - until he couldn't afford to pause anymore.

"How--"

Shoot, there wasn't even any time to ask just how hard Zero expected him to hit. A hit was a hit! Kiyotaka hissed and fell back into his defensive pattern, realizing very quickly that this wasn't the easy routine it had been just a few minutes ago.

He could see what he was doing. A hit was a hit in the stadium, but when it came down to an actual life or death situation, he would need to use enough force to end it as soon as possible. A true enemy would be just as relentless, too. Probably even more so. Kiyotaka knew it, so... why was he so apprehensive about going all-out? Maybe it was less the idea of hitting Zero and more the concept of going up against this opponent at all.

Just thinking about it sent a wave of unbidden anxiety passing through his mind, though he didn't know where it came from. Something locked deep within his subconscious. Something almost instinctive. His frustration only grew.

At least he was starting to pick up on what the most opportune openings would be. Now he just had to make sure he matched Zero's speed to properly take advantage of it. In time, once he'd wielded a blade long enough to become just another part of him, he would be able to do it with grace and ease. For now... Well, at least there was certainly more force behind it.

"Nnghthere!"

And for a second, a flash of something in his eyes. A desperation, but not about wanting to win or to at least prove to himself that he was capable of this. It was something a little more dire than that.

The blade slashed into Zero's left arm, sparks flying once again as the reploid was momentarily stunned by pain. He didn't even have to leave a deliberate opening that time - this at least seemed proof enough that Zero's training method was creating some results, even if the strategy in question was no more sophisticated than 'wail on him until he's forced to improve.'

It'd take some more practice before Kiyotaka was anywhere near ready to deliver a blow that could sever a limb in one stick, but had Zero been human, a slash like that in a real fight would've been a debilitating for his sword hand. His processors were busy firing off warnings in his head, but he couldn't let up just as his student was starting to get the hang of things. Those red eyes, for a brief moment they were burning - with something almost like fear.

He'd need that fear. With it came the will to survive, to keep fighting as though his life were on the line.

Zero recovered after a beat and, intent on seeing how much further he could push the boy, switched his sword hand to his right just to see how well Kiyotaka could respond to the sudden change. "Again!"

Edited 2014-11-17 09:09 (UTC)

It was probably better than his eyes burning with actual fire. Never again.

Fear was a surprisingly good motivator. Or perhaps it wasn't surprising at all, given an organic being's base urge to just survive. Fear of losing his own life or failing to save others was what brought Kiyotaka this far in the first place, after all, and now it was his fear of this assailant he was sure he had seen in a nightmare that kept him going.

The switch of sword hands was all it took for the boy's lingering deja vu to go into overdrive, and though he still couldn't place it, he felt more than ever the importance of coming out of this alive.

--Which was stupid. Safety was on, and Zero was only trying to train him, come on...

But despite his determination not to lose, he was still only human. Fit as he was, swordplay worked muscles that he didn't usually give so much attention, and short bursts of terror-tinged adrenaline only lasted so long. It wasn't long before his movements, attacks and blocks both, grew slow and clumsy, his breaths growing heavier.

A reasonable person would have been ready to call it a day by now. But, uh. He looked like he'd go on to the point of collapse if someone didn't tell him to smarten up.

They'd been at it for a good while before Zero noticed that Kiyotaka's face was turning kind of red. And then purple. His breathing had been heavy for a while, but now it was downright ragged, and sweat was pouring from his face. So much so that it was a marvel he was able to keep his eyes open at all. To say nothing of his actual skills, which were deteriorating quickly.

Yet for some reason, the kid still hadn't called for a time out. The boy was going to collapse on his feet soon and he still he was determined to keep going. Zero knew he wasn't the best judge of human performance, but this was getting a little absurd - and counter-productive to his health.

Zero darted back a step and de-activated his sword, signalling the end of the tutoring session. "That's enough."

~~he slipped in a puddle of his own sweat~~

Kiyotaka may have been foolishly stubborn but even he knew not to insist that he could keep going now that Zero called the session off. He was exhausted. Normally physical exertion felt pretty damn good, but this just left him feeling more frustrated than ever, largely due more to those unidentifiable emotional factors than anything.

And Zero wasn't even breaking a sweat. Well, that made sense. He was a robot, after all. But that just proved that there were potential enemies that Kiyotaka would need to learn to quickly outsmart if he had no hope at all of outlasting them.

At least... he was confident that he could improve at this. Even if it was unfamiliar territory, part of it felt so natural to him.

"How... how was that...?" Please confirm that he did okay. That he was not a complete hopeless case. Not that he needed approval or anything, but... it felt pretty good to get, and feedback on something like this was pretty important, okay.

"...It's a start," Zero said. Not exactly a master of positive reinforcement, but his tone was optimistic about the boy's potential. Or... about as optimistic as he was capable of sounding like. Basically, he wasn't grumbling or shooting Kiyotaka down, which was a good sign.

Apparently lacking anything else he felt like saying on the subject, he told the Stadium, "Simulation complete." Immediately, the swords disintegrated back into light and data, and healing items were dispensed in the form of food suddenly appearing out of mid-air and landing on the ground before them. It was a generous bounty: everything from apples to donuts to omelette to a bento box, perfectly portioned to cure their fatigue.

Zero stared at it all, looking unamused and not hungry for consumables. He was going to have to specify the type of healing items next time...

"...Hrm."

That wasn't shooting him down as being hopeless, so that was good enough for Kiyotaka. He'd have to work toward higher words of praise, maybe something like good job one day. Maybe even I'm proud of you. That... seemed like a nice thing to work toward.

But hey, food was also a pretty satisfying reward for a job well done. Except...

"It... all landed right on the ground..."

Ah yes. That donut sure was covered in some nice dirt now.

What, you were just going to waste it? Picky...

Zero walked over to the bento box (with unagi on rice) whose contents managed not to spill over onto the floor, picked it up and wordlessly handed it to Kiyotaka. None of it did anything for a robot who couldn't eat human food, but that should suffice without any complaint, hopefully.

He'd been spoiled by actual food that his broke ass didn't have to pay for. He could be as picky as he wanted.

And that pickiness was paying off, because his favourite food was being presented to him, jostled but not ruined by the fall. His eyes lit up instantly, and he eagerly accepted the bento box.

"Ah-! Thank you so much! a workout like that really does work up the appetite!" He didn't realize just how true that was until the food was right here in his hands. Oh god, it smelled good. How long had it been...?

"Before I dig in... tell me when the next lesson is!"

Zero thought about it for a moment. How much was he committing to this, exactly? Normally classes at this school were once a week, so it made sense this would work the same way. Too much time between lessons would dull his skills, thereby undoing all his work anyway.

"You'll need to obtain a real sword. The sooner you familiarize yourself with your weapon, the sooner it will become a part of you."

It was an essential part of swordplay - to move as though your weapon was an extension of your arm, your will. Becoming intimately familiar with its weight, and building the strength to carry it. To go from swinging a beam sabre - essentially swinging only the weight of its high tech hilt - to a fully metal blade was no small step. It was something that simply had to be worn into you through endless repetition.

"You have until next week. Your real training starts then."

There was no better way to make it clear that this was a long-term commitment than investing in a real weapon, not some student-grade practice thing borrowed from the stadium. Something not just anybody could wield, but potentially chosen to suit his own speed and style specifically, to match his body should it could become an extension of it. The blade may end up being light but this was some heavy stuff to think about. And as it sank in, so did Kiyotaka's expression.

"Where am I going to find a real sword? I know there are weapon shops in the city--" much to his alarm-- "but there's no way a mere student could afford something like that..."

Unless they also happened to be the heirs to huge conglomerates but screw those guys.

Even if he found some source of income there was nothing that could pay him enough in a week to afford a sword. Unless Zero knew that and was just trying to weed him out... Was he really that kind of guy, though?

Actually, Zero simply hadn't thought about the issue of money. It had never been a concern for him before. The reploid looked thoughtful for a second, before coming to a solution.

"Use my money," he said nonchalantly, as though he really didn't care about the idea of throwing away several hundred dollars on his student's behalf. With a shrug, he added, "Apparently I've been getting paid, but I don't have any use for it."

After all, he volunteered for the position of security guard. The salary had been completely unexpected - not to mention unnecessary. It's not like he needed food or had any hobbies to spend it on... so it'd just been collecting dust, untouched.

The bento box nearly dropped from his hands.

"Huh?"

Zero was definitely fucking with him now. Did he want something from him? ~~his booty~~ Or was it genuinely of no use to him?

Even if it made logical sense, what with the whole robot thing, it was still a difficult concept to grasp for someone whose family had struggled with debts for as long as he could remember. Especially when that someone hadn't encountered that kind of generosity in other people, either. Automatically, his conscience shamed him for even thinking about buying a sword when every meager yen should have been saved for-- for--

A debt that no longer existed, because the nation that scorned his grandfather's mistakes didn't, either. That wasn't the way he wanted that absolved.

Still, he couldn't just take that kind of money if Zero's offer was genuine, what the hell.

"Wh... what do I have to do for it?"

~~"give me your booty"~~

All Zero actually wanted from Kiyotaka was to know that he was taking his lessons seriously, so that he wasn't wasting their time doing all this. But that seemed to go without saying - the kid seemed to take every endeavour with an excess of determination. The reploid had a feeling that if he asked him to, this student would work himself to death within the month.

Since he had a moment to think about it, there was only one thing Zero needed to make certain. The weight of a sword lay in the intentions of the one wielding it. Obviously Kiyotaka needed to learn self-defense, but what else?

Meeting the human's red eyes, he asked, "Tell me what you want to protect with that blade."

There was no hesitation in finding his answer, only in choosing the words. But even that didn't take long at all. This was exactly what he'd been thinking about since their impromptu trip to the island.

"Everyone." That was too broad a response, and one word alone didn't even begin to convey what he was feeling. He held the meal aside with one hand, bringing the other to his chest. "The lives of my friends... and even the people I may not like very much... they're all important. They all have an equal weight and value! But how can mine be worth anything if I don't do anything to try to preserve that?"

His fist clenched tightly over his heart. "I've already... failed to prevent the deaths of others before. Because I didn't know how. That's why I have to learn! I have to try harder!"

Ah yes. The crushing weight of guilt and responsibility.

That was an answer that seemed to sit well with the reploid. It was no small task to protect everyone, but the world needed more people who were willing to take up that responsibility, and the blade. Kiyotaka had the spirit, and he had the determination to grow stronger - to both, Zero acknowledged with a nod of approval.

He did have doubts, but now he felt more reassured that he managed to get a pretty decent student.

"Good. Now eat your food."

It was really that easy? It should have been a good thing, but it still didn't sit right with Kiyotaka. But vowing to pay that money back in the future didn't do a lot of good if it was completely worthless to Zero.

At the very least, he'd make sure this gesture didn't go to waste.

"I-- I promise you that I'll earn that sword!"

By doing everything Zero told him, starting with eating. HE WAS SO HUNGRY.

Words were easy. But actually living up to them was hard, probably one of the hardest things to do when it came to a goal like that. Still, simply hearing them gave Zero hope for the boy. For now: food.

Kiyotaka must've been starving, because he was inhaling that boxed lunch. Lacking anything else to do, Zero couldn't help but watch him in fascination. The sight of it was curious and kind of disgusting at the same time, but there was definitely enjoyment in those red eyes.

No matter how similar he was to a human, the reploid could never share in the simple pleasure of eating. It'd only serve to gunk up his internal machinery, not to mention he wouldn't even be able to taste anything for all that trouble. Zero could live vicariously through other people though... as he did with most things in his life.

But after a while, the staring might've grown just a bit prolonged and awkward for Kiyotaka.

It was kind of weird. Any pain that lingered where the beam swords injured him on his chest and fingers just kind of ebbed away the more he ate. His true scars remained as bold as ever, but they had long stopped hurting, anyway.

He was pretty content to just enjoy a quiet meal until it occurred to him about 3/4 of the way through finishing that Zero had been watching a little too intently the whole time. He lowered the box and his chopsticks and stared right on back.

"...What is it?"

Was this because he was too hungry to give a more traditional thanks out loud? HE FUCKED UP.

Zero blinked, taken slightly aback by Kiyotaka calling attention to him. Nothing was wrong, obviously - he didn't even know enough about basic eating etiquette to tell what could've been wrong.

There was an awkward silence before he responded, "...Nothing. You looked like you were enjoying it."

Edited 2014-11-25 08:01 (UTC)

Oh, was that all.

(Come on, Kitty, that was still weird...)

"Oh! Yes, it's delicious! This is my favourite food, actually!"

The secret was all in the sauce. Or the rarity of actually getting to eat it. Or both. ~~Seasoned with the tears of nature.~~

"You should try it!"

Zero looked at his student like he was an idiot.

"My body's not designed to process food."

Duh.

But, for the sake of enlightening the boy, he continued to explain, "A civilian or companion model reploid might be able to, to help blend in with humans or make them comfortable. But I was made purely for combat." As his skills could attest to.

Zero's student was an idiot. And a genius. While simultaneously denying both.

Still, his ears pinkened a little at his mistake. Vivian ate - when he made sure that she remembered to - but then again... she regularly took a human form. Or a mostly human one. Zero looked human enough as it was that he really didn't need to.

It was probably best not to mention that and embarrass himself further. But there was a new topic of interest.

"Hm... What will you do when there is no need to fight?"

Not if. He was still naive enough to look toward a peaceful future, even here.

Yeah well, Zero didn't need to know about humanization anyway. It would probably be a terrible time.

Kiyotaka was more of a hopeful idealist than Zero, then. While the reploid fought for such a future, he wasn't nearly optimistic enough to be certain he'd live to see such a world. Yet despite that, he had to admit the question was a passing thought that had come and gone more frequently ever since he arrived at Final Destination City. But whether he'd actually come to a solution was a different matter entirely.

As long as he kept fighting, there would never be peace. But without fighting, what was he? War was a way of living that had sunk its roots deep into his body, tangled up in every part of him all the way back to his creation.

Smash Academy had many faults, but it was still the first time the reploid had ever lived without the constant threat of war breathing down his neck. A mysterious floating island wasn't quite the same as a powerful fascist regime trying to wipe you out. Though being on guard was at least a feeling Zero was accustomed to.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "My life has been... an endless fight. One war after another. I've never had the luxury to do anything else."

Being human would be the absolute worst time. Just look at how miserable this human was with that delicious endangered meat.

"Because you were made for it," he mused, ever the sensitive and subtle fellow. He finished off the last bite of his meal and set the box aside, which promptly vanished into thin air. If it was all a product of the stadium, did that mean he'd feel hungry again as soon as he walked out of it? Stay tuned...

"But I think you can definitely be more than that programming if you tried to be! The way I see it, it isn't that different from being a student." Uh, it was pretty different, buddy. "Instead of battle, all I thought there was for a student was to devote oneself to one's studies and their school entirely. That's still a student's duty, of course! But there's more to life than that, and if I hadn't realized that before now, so close to graduating and leaving the student life behind... I'm not sure what I would do."

Granted, he still didn't really know what he was going to do if he couldn't go home. He tried not to let it get to him, but there was still a bit of a tightness in his chest when he thought about it.

"The point is that there are enough peaceful periods here that I am sure you could find something if you put your mind to it!"

Good. Good pep talk from a guy who was trying to fill that peaceful period in with training for the next disaster. Probably not even necessary.

Zero would have to politely disagree with Kiyotaka's assessment. His expression, while thoughtful, was still unconvinced, no matter how well-meaning his student was trying to be.

"A student's duty... That's because a student's ultimate goal is to prepare themselves for the future that lies ahead. To use the skills they've developed to decide on a path they want to walk down. It is... different for us."

Not many reploids could say they were afforded the same privilege of being able to start their lives from a blank slate. X was probably the only one who could truly claim that, and even he was saddled with the responsibility of being the first of his kind.

"Most combat reploids come into this world knowing they are soldiers, created only with the skills to destroy their fellow machines. It is all they can do to make sense of the reason they fight."

For the sake of protecting humanity, perhaps - though Neo Arcadia proved that such a cause could be taken to dangerous, horrific extremes. Or justice, which was such a subjective word that no two people could hold the same definition. Some were manipulated, driven to extremism. Many were simply trying to make the best of a terrible situation, for themselves and the ones they loved, for their rights. And so, so many of them fell astray - died, too often at Zero's hands.

It was hard to leave behind the trail of bodies he'd accumulated. Sometimes it seemed like the fate of all reploids ultimately ended in either madness or death.

"It's not a matter of programming. I've always had the ability to make my own choices," he explained. Yet there was a pause as Zero tried to find the words to describe the hesitation he felt.

"But having done the things I have... I don't think becoming just a civilian is possible."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

your path is chosen, you have no choice

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I MISSED THIS LAST NIGHT no...

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OOPS commented in the wrong place

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