placation | LABYRINTHUM INBOX II

[ He knows what's coming for him.

He's known since the moment he first arrived in Visium. His fate was sealed the moment he saw the sky turn blood red outside his old professor's window– no, it was sealed the moment he learned about the true power of the collective unconscious over coffee on a crisp autumn day– no, it was sealed the day he made his promise to Rumi, the last time he ever saw her.

I wish I could heal the world of all its pain.

That wish was never something this reality could grant him. It was something he could give back to the world he came from, something he could only do himself.

The day he jolts back into consciousness just outside that office–

He knows what's coming for him. Unfathomable power at his fingertips, Azathoth's presence throbbing at the base of his skull, conviction burning an inferno straight through all the gnarled distortion surrounding his heart. A palace of sorrow, a laboratory filled with grand golden monuments to his love, a promise, a plea, a threat–

A fight, an acceptance, a hand wrapped around his wrist–

Maruki knew all of that was coming for him.

What happens after a storybook closes, a dream dies, a heart changes?

Everything. Nothing. There's nothing left for him because everything has been spread out before him for the taking.

Not everyone is so lucky to get a second chance at life. Precious few people in this world are as phenomenally fortunate as him to have been handed a true clean slate, with his own face on. He tells himself that alone in the bath, letting the steam ease pains from phantom wounds that no longer show. He tells himself that the first time he leaves his apartment days later, fighting back a sense of shame in facing the city that will never know it was under his thrall. He tells himself that as he finds a new job, talks to new people, learns new stories, new joys, new pains–

He tells himself that as he drops Akira off at the train station, unable to stop smiling, more grateful than ever.

He's lucky. He's changed. He's–

Leaning his head back against the leather seat, letting his eyes drift shut for just a moment, letting the darkness take him.

Stars blink to life slowly, glowing incandescent all around him even when he tries to force his eyes open again. So many more than there were above them that frigid night in Odaiba. Innumerable. He feels himself falling into them, weightless as if in a dream, and in his heart–

In this new heart that hasn't yet learned to live again, it beats–

I wish I could make the most of my new life and find my own happiness.

And his eyes open in a garden, familiar for only half a breath before an entire lifetime of memories return to him, placing him exactly where he should be. ]

[ There's only one use for Maruki now that he's returned to this reality. He's a ticket out. He's barely an ally. That's all. Akechi had interrogated him the day after their battle with precise, clinical questions. Wanting evidence. Wanting anything that may have triggered the departure. Wanting nothing on the man's life, only the lead up to his vanishing act and the account surrounding it. Thoughts. People met prior. Dreams had. There's no banter indulged. Akechi asks. He only tolerates impersonal facts in return. Maruki remembers less than he likes, implies more than Akechi's comfortable with and he ends the day ignoring a man to study notes in his room, try to recreate what little he gleaned happened.

Maruki winning that battle only affords him a home back in a house that's irrevocably Akechi's now. A matter he stated with that same cold tone. It transferred to him. There's no proof of it outside of the home standing beyond Maruki's departure. It's all he needs in a shithole built on wishful thinking. The short lived satisfaction from relaying that information ends brutal and fast upon the realization this house doesn't even matter.

It takes a week for him to acknowledge Maruki in the hall. Then two before he wanders back to the counter to indulge in a meal. Three before he falls back into a routine perfected in the years before, offering up crossword clues, questions. It's easier to work with Maruki than against him. Akechi can pretend to give a shit awhile longer - one of them left. It's only a matter of time before it happens again.

It takes four weeks for him to invite Maruki to the bathhouse.

They sit in silence for-

Awhile. Akechi wanting to say little, eyes shut in a steamy room like he's being lulled to sleep. He's more aware than ever of the man sitting a foot away.

But inevitably, he speaks. Unable to stay silent for long. ]

I didn't inquire about your actual experience back in our world. To be frank, it means little to me, but since I've hit a dead end with the information you previously provided, I'm going to ask you to relay everything. [ One eye opens to make sure his companion hasn't died in water Akechi made sure was far hotter than normal. ] Try not to vanish before you're done.

Can you tell me why a fucking goblin just knocked on my door asking for candy?

[ Nearly 2AM, there's the telltale sound of a glass shattering somewhere in the home.

Weird how it's the third one this week. Insane how a string of bad luck has followed him for two months now. ]

Something odd is happening in this home.

[ Haru has never had a more fun birthday in years.

Maybe others who get to celebrate yearly with their loved ones might find it odd or jarring, but Haru finds comfort in sharing with a friend on how to properly conduct sado.

And though it's art preferred and performed by women, Maruki doesn't seem all too bothered by such gender nonsense and has been an excellent observer thus far.

In the comfort of the tatami room, no other machiya residents to bother them, Haru has the chawan preheated after she's so elegantly poured water into it. She's quiet, focused as she does so, not a drop spilled onto the floor as she soaks the chasen.

When it's time to wipe the chasan with a cloth, her movements are diligent and graceful, taking care to ensure the chasan is dutifully cleaned before she can place it down and reach for the container of matcha powder.

One scoop. It's added in quietly, no dusting of it left behind. Second scoop. She turns the chasaku over and brings it down against the rim, tapping with careful precision so any excess powder drops into the bottom of the chasan. ]

Maruki... I'm in a real pickle.

[ The box Maruki finds just outside the sliding glass door of the balcony connecting his office and Akira's apartment has some...heft to it. Strange since it's so small, and perhaps even stranger once it's finally opened.

Inside is a chicken. A plush chicken, nice and soft, and if lifted, yup. That's where all the heft is coming from. Thankfully the note written in fine academic script explains,

I know you don't take care of you own neck and shoulders, but perhaps you'd let a friend help. The clay balls inside can be safely heated and will stay so for hours at a time, so when the need strikes, please feel free to have a warm cuddle.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to your health,
Akira Takahashi ]

[ In a very simple package of brown and red ribbon is a gift for Maruki, found at the machiya on Christmas.

A note from Haru reads:

Merry Christmas, Maruki-san!
I tried my hand at sewing this, so I apologize if it's not up to the standards of the merchandise the vendors sold at Dreamercon. Your kitty can play with it as well, if you'd like.
I look forward to the New Year with you, too!

Inside the package? A little mouse plush she's carefully crafted. He looks a little mischievous, that damn smirk of his. ]

[At some point, he slips out into the garden and plants his gift. It's a wooden birdhouse, modeled after the White Windmill in Somnius. Eren sometimes forgets that others know about the place. It didn't seem right to leave it behind where someone else might pick it up. It's a perfect miniature replica.]

[A plain and unassuming red box with a silver ribbon arrives wherever Maruki gets any personal deliveries at on Christmas day. Inside is a handheld massager and a note:

Figured you wouldn't be around your office today, but wasn't sure where else to send this so I left it with the mice. Hopefully it gets to you.

Merry Christmas, Doc.

-Aragaki

[ It's a blinding light that greets him.

Of course he's awake. It's not enough to fight and fight and fight to return where he belongs. Maybe that's his penance for a life spent in the shadows to be blinded by the sun the moment he's able to rest.

It's a curse. Of course it is. The blissful bleak end he walked towards with his own two feet, by his own choice, his own destiny embraced-

Doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

He's blinded by the the sun . His eyes are open. Another false world moves around him and it's a nauseating experience to recall all he had-

Forgotten. Of course he forgot. Years spent adamant that his will was stronger than the world-

What an idiot he was. With Shido, with this place - it's not beyond them to fight the manipulation intrinsic to this world, but it was, is, will forever be foolish to think they're above it.

He's awake, blinded, furious. A field of flowers, a bright sky, a sun in the palm of his hand.

If you're going through what I went through, I don't want you to hold back. Finish the job you set out to do.

He hadn't.

If you come back, I'll take responsibility.

He hates Maruki.

I want to see you again, Akechi.

He hates Maruki.

I won't apologize for that.

He hates Maruki.

There's bile in his throat and he lets it rise. Maybe it'll choke him as he lays against a sea of petals. It was only minutes, hours, seconds ago that glass shattered under them, a perfect world fell apart, and Akira had clung to a god's hand to raise him up again and-

A sour taste sticks to his teeth, the back of his throat. He swallows it down.

Of course he's here.

Of course Maruki brought him here.

He understands it couldn't be Maruki that brought him here. The infallible god dead set on controlling the world-

Isn't in control here and it's almost comical, frankly. Akechi is 'alive' again, in a false world, and it's not even Maruki Takuto behind it.

It's penance. He can't stand Maruki and-

The sun continues to shine in his hand, his fingers forcing the screen to stay up for as long as his stare can hold it. Until thin bright streaks cross his vision and he thinks his eyes will fall from their sockets if he doesn't blink.

It's the first of the year. That's what he gleans as he wanders through town like an unwanted ghost. He doesn't answer anyone, doesn't care to make pleasantries with the locals.

Of course it is.

And it's funny, really, that he ends up a shrine to a goddess he can't stand.

But who gives a shit anyway and-

The sun blinds but he's never been one to shy away from it.

He opens the series of text messages and says-]

Here I thought we made plans for the New Year.

How long are you going to keep me waiting?

Make something spicy tonight.

> canon update (10/10)