Disovering the Sun chapter 8 part 1

[estirose]

…Yeah, I wasn’t expecting this either. This is the beginning of chapter 8, “Chosen”.

The next thing Kagami remembered was waking up in the factory. He wasn’t sure how he was alive, but he wasn’t going to quibble. There was something around his waist that hadn’t been there before, he realized as he got up, and he realized after a second that it was a belt. A Kabuto-like belt, to be exact.

Maybe he was dreaming, but was that possible in so much pain?

He dragged himself up, hoping that he had a second chance to save everybody from his own mistake. Twice now he’d mistaken a worm for a human, and had paid the price. And this time, the worm in question was even more malicious than Ryuu. At least Ryuu had been trying to save his older brother the best way he knew how, or so Kagami believed. Mikoto probably had traits of his own original, or he wouldn’t have hung onto the little telescope the way he did.

Grasping it, Kagami shoved it in his pocket. It had meant something to the Mikoto that had been, so it meant something to him too.

The two Worm would head towards the exit; he had to make it out there too. There was a presence in his mind that he recognized after a moment as not being TheBee’s.

Gatack.

Somehow, they had bonded, even though he hadn’t realized it. Somehow it chose him, just as it was chewing him up. He could feel it heading in his direction, or at least that was its intent, and like TheBee, it knew exactly where he was. He knew there would be no rejecting it, but as long as he could keep its choice under wraps, he’d be okay.

And in the meantime, he’d use it to get rid of the Worm with his face, and Mikoto.

He’d made the mistake, he’d fix it. And then he would quit ZECT, because otherwise it would be too obvious that he was a host again. That thought kept him occupied until he ran across the two impostors. They both had insufferably smug looks on their faces.

His hand touched his pocket, and he felt Mikoto’s telescope. He didn’t want it damaged more than it was, so he put it on the top of a fuse box of some kind. The thud made Mikoto-worm and him-worm turn around.

“To betray those that want to protect is unforgiveable,” he said, aiming the words at Mikoto. He wished he could save the little boy, but that was impossible now. He could only do his best to make sure that Mikoto couldn’t hurt anybody like he’d hurt Kagami, and not just in the physical way.

Mikoto looked sad, and Kagami wished things could be different. There was a little bit of the boy Mikoto in the worm, after all. It hadn’t been all an act. But feelings or not, something had to be done.

Feeling Gatack near, he reached up a hand, and was reassured by the shattering of a skylight, and then the weight of the Zecter in his hand. He guided Gatack to the place on the belt without a second thought, as if he’d been doing it for ages, and then looked firmly at the duo. “Henshin.”

He was suddenly surrounded by armor, and rushed forward into battle. The two worms dodged out of the way, and the fight began.

Concentrating on the him-worm, he defeated that first, blowing it into smithereens with cannons he was barely aware that he had. It was like TheBee all over again; he knew what he had to do, and he did it.

Then he turned towards the Makoto-worm, hesitating. The worm seemed to realize this, for it projected the image of the little boy. “If you kill me, then Mikoto is gone forever,” it pleaded. “Do you really want to do this?”

The worm was trying to get under his skin, work on the bond between himself and the bond to save its skin. He had no doubt that the original Mikoto was still in there a bit, and was as much a part of the worm as Ryuu had been part of the worm that had taken his place.

And he still wanted to do something for Mikoto. To apologize to Mikoto and Ryuu for what they’d lost, even if it was the worms that had ended their lives.

But there was nothing he could do, so he just looked at Mikoto. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Footsteps echoed, and a third person joined them. “I will take care of this.”

Tendou. Kagami didn’t have to swing around to look. Besides, he had to keep his focus on the worm in front of him.

“No, I will,” Kagami said firmly.

“Kagami.” There was surprise in Tendou’s voice, and a warmness Kagami had not expected. “He’s yours then.”

Kagami wasn’t sure why Tendou was willing to back away, but he took advantage of it, pressing Makoto-worm in battle. As he moved into clock-up mode – and he’d surprisingly missed that rush from when he was TheBee – he thought of something.

Smashing the skylight just above them, he let the light pour down, refracted by the falling glass. “A moonbow.” A gift to the boy that had once been, and a worm that held his hopes.

The worm stopped. The image of the boy returned, gazing in awe. “Thank you,” he said briefly, before the worm turned to fight again.

Only to stop up short as they both realized that a fireball was coming their way. Shadow must have decided to blow up the place, after all.

“Big brother!” Makoto-worm called. “Duck!”

No matter what, that was useful advice, and Kagami followed it. He watched the worm stretch its arms, bizarrely welcoming the fireball as it incinerated him.

And then the Makoto worm was gone, and so was the fireball.

Only the singed, broken telescope remained. He picked it up, wondering if he should keep it, as a reminder of how to be careful, as a memorial to Makoto and to Ryuu.

There was a chuckle behind him. Tendou, of course. “Only you,” he said.

“I can only be who I am.” That was what Tadokoro-san had told him, and it seemed like good life advice. He could define himself by himself now.

Of course, there was the whole problem of the Zecter and making sure ZECT didn’t figure out that he was Gatack’s host. He sighed and released Gatack, which flew away, and wished the belt would go away.

To his surprise, it did, disappearing someplace else.

And suddenly all the wounds he’d sustained caught up with him. Tendou caught him, and helped him out of the nearly-destroyed factory, but Kagami managed to stay conscious long enough to see the welcome yellow stripsed of Shadow and Yaguruma-san waiting outside the gates. An alarmed Yaguruma-san was the last thing he remembered as he passed out.

Crossposted from Ramblings Yet Once More here.

Comments

[arrow]

…Yeah, I wasn’t expecting this either.

Nobody was, which is what makes it such a nice surprise. Delish. Anxious for more, but I'm not gonna pressure/expect you to suddenly get on this for good out of nowhere. XD

[estirose]

My brain has decided that this is the year I get fannish WIPs done, apparently. The fact that this might hit 110,000 words doesn't seem to bother it.