my heart was limping and this is the end of the road //

[heavenlydecree]

[Despite existing in some form or another for twenty-four years, Takatora still couldn't be sure if he was thankful or not for his ability to function so much like a human. With every new body, his appearance and functions improved significantly. In the beginning, he could remember, his expressions had always been stoic, his voice monotone and unemotional, his body stiff and unforgiving. But, as Yggdrasill's technology improved over the years, so did his bodies.

Now, it was near impossible to tell him apart from a human other than carefully hidden ports on his body, all with various levels of power over each other to avoid crashing completely in the event of an accident destroying one or more. His skin was warm to the touch, his emotions more strongly developed (in part from monitoring his 'brother' so closely for so many years), and he could even eat and process food, though tasting was a bit shaky. It was one of the things that wasn't quite as important, though it was one of the many pieces currently standing by for his next body, if only because Takatora had expressed curiosity.

Today was one of the few days of the week he didn't have to work. Takatora had already reported in to his 'father' the night before with updates about the company and how everything was going. It never felt strange to be so subservient to the man, especially when Takatora had known his role for a very long time. It was simply another one of his duties.

Straightening the collar of his shirt, Takatora rolled his neck, stretching his body a bit before reaching back to self-consciously fluff his hair back down over one of his ports. It was hidden well enough that even someone touching his head wouldn't be able to tell it was there unless they knew, but he was always keenly aware of its presence.

It had taken only a few minutes to be satisfied with his appearance, at which point Takatora left his room and carefully walked down the hall, knocking on Mitsuzane's door. Even though they had known each other for so long, Takatora was always skittish about their interactions. He was fairly sure Mitsuzane had forgotten any times he'd come close to finding out the truth about his 'brother', but Takatora had always been concerned about the consequences. The last thing he wanted was for Mitsuzane to be frightened of him, or worse, disgusted by him.]

... Mitsuzane?

Comments

[grapeeater]

[He knew something wasn't right. He knew his brother was different, somehow. It was something about how he shied away from touch, about how he disappeared at certain times every day, about how he would sometimes slam something shut too fast to not be suspicious. But this was his brother, the one person he trusted most in the world. If it was something he was hiding, it must be for a good reason.]

[He smiled brightly as he opened the door, clothes slipped on neatly and brushed down with care. The weekends were a time to be with his brother, because even if he had work to do he always seemed to make time for him. Less and less now that he was older, but Takatora had promised they would go out today.]

Good morning, nii-san. How are you today? Where are we going?

[lookingbusy]

[It took a while for everything to be set up. Mitsuzane was rushed through a brain scan, before the actual surgery began. Ryouma had kept himself busy through the whole affair, overseeing everything directly. Even the chemical composition of the temporary holding area for the boy's brain had been mixed by him personally.]

[The surgery had been... difficult. He'd kept Takatora as uninvolved as he could, but allowed him to sit holding the boy's hand. Ryouma had directed a screen to be put up so he couldn't see the actual extraction, though, and warned Takatora not to look under any circumstances. It was... bloody. Bloody and harder than he'd wanted it to be. He'd gone quiet during the actual cutting and extraction, and not spoken until the brain was safely in its tank.]

One of you handle reattachment. Takatora... you can stay with the body as it dies if you want.