Chapter Text
It was a quarter past ten when Eito heard the clattering of feet approaching the cafeteria. He let out a disappointing sigh. He hoped he would have the cafeteria to himself, at least long enough to finish the book he was reading. But good fortune rarely favors him in the short term. He instinctively raised the book closer to his face with his left hand as he grabbed his cup of coffee with the other. He took a sip, trying his best not to look irritated as the cafeteria door swung open. Tsubasa, Kyoshika, Shoma, Gaku, and Takemaru entered the room. Gaku and Kyoshika rushed to the Ration-O-Matic with Tsubasa and Shoma waltzing behind, seemingly not to register Eito’s existence, which didn’t bother Eito in the slightest.
It meant he had more time to prepare himself.
“Sup, Eito. Slept in all day yesterday like the rest of us?”
Eito’s left eye twitched at the sound of the voice, forming a pit in his gut. Bracing himself, he placed his coffee down and looked up from the safety of his book. “Good morning, Takemaru.” He said with an artificial smile. “Yes, I did… It’s strange that everyone seems to lose energy at the same time. I wonder if it has anything to do with the amount of hemoanima we used during battle, or if the fog the invaders used has a factor?”
“Beats me.” Takemaru sighed. He sat down just across from Eito. A scent of sweat and decay filled the air. “Besides, we have a much bigger issue to deal with.”
“You’re referring to the enemy commander locked up in the courtyard?”
“Yeah. I had a quick chat with Shoma on the way here. He volunteered to watch over her, bringing her food, water, and stuff like that. But I’m unsure what we will do with her in the long run. I mean, are we really going to keep her locked up for the remaining forty-three days? It doesn’t feel humane doing that to someone who can’t understand a word we’re saying.”
“I’m not a fan of it either.” Eito sighed, feigning empathy. “But we can’t let her wander around. She’s still an enemy commander; just because she seemed remorseful the other night doesn’t mean she won’t betray us in the future.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know that…” mumbled Takemaru, shifting himself to the right to let Tsubasa sit next to him. Tsubasa took one of the two white mugs from her lunch tray and placed it next to Takemaru, who took it without question. Eito took this pause in the conversation to glance down at his book. His mind begged for any sort of relief, even for a second. The foul odor grew when Tsubasa sat down. A noticeable stench of rust was added to the already vile smell assaulting his nostrils. Eito quickly lifted his hand up to his face, masking his reactive gag as a cough.
“Bless you,” said Tsubasa, her metallic voice grinding against Eito’s ears.
“Thanks…” Eito muttered, forcing himself to look at the monstrosities in front of him with a smile.
He stopped himself from wincing at Tsubasa as she took a bite out of her sandwich. If he could call it that. Watching it vanish within the blackened void of her face, quickly followed by the long, acidic gurgle of its consumption. A large lump traveled down her ragged throat, disappearing as it went into her impossibly thin body. Her elongated fingers moved in a stilted manner; her flesh melted into rusted metal at the end of her tips, clanking together like knives as she reached down to impale another sandwich. Takemaru grasped his mug with his battered hands; the darkened veins bubbled beneath his skin as he lifted the mug. The rim of the mug clattered against his long, jagged teeth as he took a sip. Eito couldn’t help but wonder how Takemaru managed to keep the liquids in the mug from spilling over the table, given the lack of skin around his mouth and his rotted gums exposed to the world. But his musing was quickly abandoned by the heated smell of rot rushing out of Takemaru’s mouth. He couldn’t hold himself back from gagging once more.
“You alright?” Takemaru asked, his deformed muscular figure towering over Eito, even where he sat. Looking down at him with hollow eye sockets barely obscured behind his violet sunglasses. Even without a face, Eito could sense that Tsubasa was staring at him as well, with the same level of intensity. He couldn’t bear to continue looking at them, but he knew that he must.
“I’m quite all right.” Eito coughed. “I’ve been feeling a little under the weather all morning. I was hoping I would feel better once I got out of bed and had something to eat. But it seems it hasn’t helped one bit…”
“You should probably go lie down,” Tsubasa said, moving her left angular arm to reach over to the ragged pouch attached to her right arm. “I can tell you from experience that forcing yourself to be fine won’t help you.”
"You might be right…” Eito sighed, placing his hand over his chest. “A day of rest might do me some good.”
Zipping the pouch open, she stiffly took out a white bottle of pills. A faint sound of gears grinding against her bones under her dead skin as she leans her arm across the table. “Here, take these; they’re for nausea and dizziness.”
"Thank you, Tsubasa." Eito muttered, maintaining his composure as he reached out his hand. Letting Tsubasa stiffly drop the bottle into his hands. Even through his black gloves, he can feel the oil and rust that covered the bottle. “You’re too kind.”
Eito took this moment to take his leave. He stood up, putting his book under his arm and grabbing his half-empty mug of coffee. He said his goodbyes to the two hell spawns as he walked towards the kitchen area, walking past the sluggish, pulsating flesh known as Shoma, the serrated, gored creature dubbed Kyoshika, and the freakish, mangled corpse called Gaku. The fresh stench of waste and blood tainted the air as they all clung together on the far right end of the cafeteria. Ravaging their food like a cannibalistic hive mind. Eito suppressed his urge to vomit as he kindly waved at them. Shoma was the only one out of the three to notice and wave back. Or, at least, that’s what Eito interprets Shoma’s lethargic movement to mean.
He dumped the remainder of his coffee into the kitchen sink, then left the cafeteria as calmly as he could. Once he heard the cafeteria’s door shut behind him, he began to increase his speed. Not fast enough to alert onlookers to his distress, but fast enough to look like he was busy. He pulled the book out from under his arm and opened it to a random page. Using it more as a prop as he made his way to the first floor’s staircase.
Passing the metal shop, he could hear what he assumed to be Kurara bashing whatever melted material into submission. Eito’s skin crawled at the image of Kurara’s contorted body slamming her arm against molten metal. Followed by the image of Kurara’s lifeless porcelain gaze. Slightly increasing his speed, he turned the hallway corner and proceeded up the stairs. Going past the second and third floors to the roof, he saw Darumi and Yugamu chatting near the stair entrance. He engaged in some small talk with the two repulsive beings. Trying his best not to focus on the chattering teeth that consumed Darumi’s thin face and the endless rows of eyes that dressed Yugamu’s decomposed body. The overpowering scent of rotting fruit and pus assaults Eito’s senses.
Once the pleasantries had passed, Eito parted ways with them and headed straight to his assigned room. He hastily opened the door, his hands faintly shaking. Locking the door behind him and moving a nearby chair under the doorknob, he let out a gasp of relief. At last, he’s away from the monstrosities he begrudgingly calls friends. Finally free from the world that hates him as much as he hates it. Safe and sound from the nightmare that is his life.
At least for now…
It’s been over an hour since Eito barricaded himself, and yet he found himself pacing around his room. Constantly rechecking the door’s lock and the placement of the chair under the knob. Recleaning and organizing his already starlized room. Along with him, he sanitizes his jacket, pants, gloves, shoes, or any other object that might have come into contact with a nauseating being, including the bottle of pills that Tsubasa gave him.
He stopped his manic cleansing to glare at the bottle, lying haphazardly on his desk. At first, his short conversation with Tsubasa didn’t mean much to him. Any communication he had with others was just a means to an end. But the more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. More importantly, one specific thing she said that rattled him.
“I can tell you from experience that forcing yourself to be fine won’t help you.”
For most, those were words of encouragement; for Eito, it was a veiled threat. He replayed the series of events in his head. Overanalyzing every single detail to figure out if somehow Tsubasa saw right through him. If his mask slipped during the past fifty-seven days of knowing her, and now she’s holding that fact over his head. Sure, there were no apparent signs that she knew his secret. After all, he kept his life before the academy vague for a reason. But the fact that she noticed that he was pretending to be fine, even in the context of his lie, got under his skin.
He spent the better part of his life forcing himself to be social. Putting on a friendly façade on a daily basis, being kind to foul vermin that don’t deserve it. All in a vain attempt to survive. At this point, he can’t take any risk, not when he’s closer to his goal than ever before. Especially now that they’re so far from society that getting sent to another mental retreat if he’s found out is not an option. But Eito knew that he couldn’t just kill Tsubasa.
At least, not the same way he killed Sirei and Hiruko.
Sirei, the bizarre-looking mechanical blob, was a threat from the get-go. He had an unfathomable amount of power over the academy that couldn’t be ignored. Sirei’s ability to teleport at will, his overwhelming servalence, and, more importantly, his power to blow anyone up at any time. That level of control was reason enough for Eito to cut him in half and dump his remains in a trash can out in the wasteland. Let alone Sirei’s overall support for the depravity known as the human race.
Hiruko was similar in that she had a death grip on the school after Sirei was gone. Her cold, merciless nature, paired with her towering, malformed figure, could make anyone submit under her ruthless gaze. But what made her a threat to Eito was her eerie ability to analyze any situation flawlessly, as well as scrutinize someone’s character. It would have been a matter of time until she saw through his ruse; if he didn’t sneak into her room and kill her where she slept.
However, what made Eito kill them wasn’t just their obvious threat to him, but the fact that there was a reasonable cause for their disappearances. Sirei supposedly needs to check with higher-ups, if they ever existed in the first place, to share important information regarding the war. It was the first couple of days of the war; much wasn’t known about Sirei’s true nature or if his word could be trusted. So, in theory, disappearing out of the blue wouldn’t be so out of character for him. That is, if Sirei’s remains weren’t quickly discovered… Hiruko, on the other hand, clearly knew more about the war than she was letting on. That fact became more obvious when Sirei was gone, even to the others. Adding on top of the growing pushback of Hiruko’s control, she also had a good reason to disappear. Luckily, for Eito, no one had found her body yet. But Tsubasa didn’t have a reason to pull a vanishing act. Ever since Tsubasa decided to join the fight, she’s been nothing but useful. Her flexible speed on the battlefield and her skills as a mechanic can’t be overstated. Everyone else in the unit has nothing but nice things to say about Tsubasa. Which makes the task of killing her without detection much harder.
Eito grabbed the bottle from his desk. Sitting down on the side of his bed, fidgeting with it while stewing in his thoughts. He remembered seeing a section of the library relating to biology. More precisely, biochemistry. He hadn’t read much from that section throughout his many visits; he was too focused on restudying forensic science to give it much thought. But now might be a good time to refresh his memory on chemicals. Specifically, the slow-acting ones.
*KNOCK-KNOCK*
Eito’s thoughts came to a halt as he turned towards the door. Seconds felt like hours, and a growing weight of dread crawled up his spine. It was far from the first time someone tried to invade his privacy; it happens more often than not. But, for him, each time it happens, it’s like feeling a barrel of a gun against your back. Before he could do or say anything, an all-too-familiar, deceptively gentle voice called out to him.
“Hey, Eito, are you up?”
“One second!” Eito shouted, sounding more rattled than he liked.
With haste, Eito stood up and walked towards the door. Quickly putting the bottle in his jacket as he moved the chair out under the doorknob, placing it next to his desk before rushing back to the door. Taking a brief moment to collect his nerves, he swung the door open. Gazing at the apparition in front of him. The dark, near-featureless figure stared back at him; the only defining features were the casual clothes on its body and the vivid blue eyes that pierced through the blackened fog surrounding his head like a halo.
“Ah, Takumi,” Eito blankly smiled. “It’s nice to see you finally up and about.”
“Yeah, sorry for missing breakfast…” Takumi said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess the battle the other day took more out of me than I realized. But it seems that everyone was a bit burned out from fighting. Tsubasa told me you weren’t feeling too well, so I decided to stop by, see how you’re doing.”
“Of course she would say something…” Eito bitterly thought. He should have known that his excuse would eventually reach Takumi. Every word spoken in the academy ends up landing in Takumi’s ear. No matter how insignificant it may seem. “I’m sorry if I’ve concerned you...” Eito said in empty kindness. “It’s just light nausea and a migraine. Nothing too serious.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. Hey, can I come in?” Takumi lifted a large, brown paper bag. “I brought some stuff for lunch if you’re hungry.”
“Be my guest,” Eito said, his stomach twisted into a knot.
He stepped aside to let Takumi into his room. He watched intensely as the living silhouette drifted past him like a phantom across his room. The vague scent of smoke and bergamot filled the room as Takumi placed the paper bag on the desk before looking around the room. A wave of confusing emotions latched onto Eito, a frustrating yet familiar feeling.
It wasn’t the first time Takumi was in his room, but he dreaded it every time. If it were anyone else, Eito would’ve closed the door behind him and continued the discussion outside. He would rather suffer through a long conversation with a disgusting cretin than let that filth into his room. But in an endless sea of hideous, sinful monsters that plague the planet, Takumi was different. No matter how much Eito tells himself that he isn’t.
“Your room is as sterile as ever.” Takumi lightly snarked.
“It can’t be helped,” Eito replied. “You know what they say. Old habits die hard, especially when they’re religiously enforced.”
“Did the hospital you stayed at have an ‘all white, everything bleach’ rule?”
Eito chuckled; he hated that he genuinely did so. “Not quite, we were allowed to decorate our bedrooms. But it was preferred that you keep it light and clean. You never know when you need to change rooms or when health inspectors come to visit. Practicality over personality, if you will.”
“I guess that makes sense…” Takumi commented, a hint of sadness in his voice. There was a brief pause before Takumi turned his attention; he pointed towards the framed painting that hung above the desk. A scenic recreation in a blooming valley, a piece of art that Eito adored and despised. “At least you hang that painting I got you. I was worried that you didn’t like it.”
“Why would you think that?” Eito asked.
“You’d sort of just blankly stare at it for a bit before thanking me. Hard to tell if you actually liked it or you were just being nice.”
“I’m not used to getting gifts like that.” Eito felt himself blush, a sensation he reviled.
“What types of gifts did you get?”
“Mostly books from my parents.” Eito sighed. “They often varied in genre and quality. Honestly, I’m pretty sure they just bought whatever was on sale.”
“That’s depressing… Sorry that your parents didn’t put in the effort.” Takumi commented, shifting through the paper bag to pull out a wrapped turkey sandwich, and handed it to Eito.
“To be fair, I wasn’t an easy child to deal with,” Eito said, grabbing the sandwich and unwrapping it with little hesitation. “I often lashed out at my parents, at the hospital staff, anyone who came too close. Locking myself in my room and whatnot.”
“Really? Hard to believe you were like that.”
“Yes, well… For a while, I didn’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to go outside, why I had to take medication, or why I had to talk to a therapist every week.” Eito said, telling half-truths. “It’s difficult to explain to a child what the doctors themselves don’t understand.”
“Yeah, that would be tough,” Takumi said, taking a bite out of his unwrapped sandwich before sitting in the chair. He reached back into the bag, pulled out a can of espresso, and tossed it to Eito. Eito would typically decline food from others; the thought of consuming something that was touched by a disease-ridden monstrosity would’ve made him gag. However, since the food was pre-wrapped or canned, he was willing to stomach whatever Takumi gave him. They took their time eating; casual conversations about literature and theories of the state of the Tokyo Complex occupied most of their time.
Even though Eito cheerfully engaged with Takumi. But beneath the surface, he bitterly fought to control himself. Takumi was like a siren made of shadows. An entity that wears you down with his calm, lingering presence until you bare your soul to him. Eito has seen several people cave under the weight of Takumi’s charm. Unfortunately, that included himself, and he was repulsed by it every time. Eito deeply hated Takumi; he loathed how Takumi made him feel. He despises how easily he can let his guard down whenever Takumi’s around. Giving him a false sense of comfort and security.
Worst of all, he hated how Takumi made him doubt himself.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Takumi said, putting the remainder of his trash into the bag. “I wanted to ask if you’re free tomorrow?”
Eito pulled himself out of his thoughts, putting his trash into the bag when Takumi gestured for him to do so. He looked back at Takumi with a false kindness. “I am, why?”
“Well, since Ima and Kako just gained their powers, I was thinking of taking them on an expedition tomorrow. You know, gathering supplies and having the twins get the hang of fighting. Killing two birds with one stone.” Takumi said, scratching his cheek. “ I was hoping you would join me. Make sure things go smoothly. You think you’ll feel well enough to do so? If not, I can ask someone else...”
Eito felt a jolt in his chest as Takumi’s eyes locked onto his. An upsurge of anxious heat paralyzed him. Takumi’s gaze dug through the metaphorical wall Eito had reactively built and burrowed into him. He desperately tried to fight it, to regain his grasp on himself. But he felt himself losing ground. Those hauntingly dazzling blue eyes pierced through the flickering dusk that is Takumi, relentlessly tightening their grip around Eito’s being.
“I’ll come,” Eito said impulsively.
“Are you sure?” asked Takumi, sounding somewhat surprised by Eito’s response. “I’d rather you stay in and rest than push yourself over the edge.”
“Today is an off day for me, but I’m confident that I’ll be able to join you tomorrow.”
Takumi stared at him for a moment before softening his eyes. “Well, okay then. Just promise me that you won’t overdo it. Last time you did that, I had to carry you back.”
“I promise.” Eito smiled gently, placing one hand in his pocket. He began to viciously clench his palm in masked anger as he calmly guided Takumi to the door. Upset that he was swayed by Takumi once again.
Hating himself for being charmed by the apparition.