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estiroseFirst of all, a GIP:
Regarding "Discovering the Sun", I finally figured out how to handle chapter 7 (Mandibles)! Yay!
Here's chapter 7, part 2. I'll be posting it out to its usual place when I'm a bit more with it. This section of Chapter 7 is about 1200 words.
EDIT: Chapter 7 part 2 should be showing up soon on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
estinano as well.
"Kagami," Tadokoro-san said suddenly, "Be careful."
"Eh?" Kagami asked, feeling the warning was coming out of the blue.
"Something about this Zecter test...." Tadokoro-san said, looking sightlessly at the display.
Tadokoro-san didn't want him to have a Zecter, apparently. Kagami had to wonder if he'd stopped Kagami from testing as a host before. Of course, if someone at HQ had wanted Kagami to test for a Zecter, no amount of intervention from Tadokoro-san would work.
Which indicated that the reason it hadn't been so urgent for him to test this new Zecter; maybe his name had only come up because he was TheBee's former host. The fact that he'd tried to reject his Zecter really didn't seem to matter.
He was glad of that, because he was still thinking of leaving ZECT, and that would be impossible to do if another Zecter chose him. Maybe it was best to leave ZECT now, before he could be ordered at any point.
"Tadokoro-san," he said, hoping that said decision wouldn't shock his supervisor, "I'll be leaving ZECT."
Tadokoro-san just looked at him for a moment. "If that's what you want." Kagami was surprised and relieved that his superior wasn't questioning his decision. Things would be much easier if he didn't have to fight Tadokoro-san on this as well as his father.
He wondered, absently, if he'd be stuffed back into Shadow for Yaguruma-san to keep an eye on. Something told him that Yaguruma-san wouldn't be as keen on him quitting as Tadokoro-san was. Well, Tadokoro-san wasn't *keen* on him leaving, but he wasn't arguing.
Tadokoro-san had never argued with him. Occasionally encouraged him to join ZECT full-time, but never pressured him. Tadokoro-san was a good supervisor.
"I'll give you my resignation the day after tomorrow," he added, still testing a little bit, making sure Tadokoro-san was still with him.
"Kagami...." Tadokoro-san said. He was about to say more, but closed his mouth. Kagami stayed still, waiting for an objection, not that it was going to stop him. But it was Tadokoro-san, he'd listen. "Zecters sometimes choose civilians."
Why Tadokoro-san had felt the need to tell him that, he didn't know. After all, he was the sometime liason to Tendou Souji, who was definitely a civilian. But he nodded. "I know."
"Be careful," Tadokoro-san said. "And listen to your heart."
Kagami raised his eyebrows at Tadokoro-san's advice. Tadokoro-san turned, seeming lost in his own thoughts, or at least his own internal debate. Kagami was never sure what Tadokoro-san was thinking of, but he was pretty sure that it was not overly outlandish. Tadokoro-san was a very orderly person.
Tadokoro-san was a great - well, at least good - boss to be working under. He, Kagami, and Misaki-san made a good team.
It would be a shame to leave them, but he was tired of ZECT outside this team and maybe a bit of Shadow. Takemiya-san would surely give him his job back. He'd be able to find a job somewhere else.
* * *
It was not until later on that day he started to wonder. Tadokoro-san had kept him busy, pretty much not given him time to think. Kagami wondered if Tadokoro-san really did support Kagami's decision to leave ZECT. He certainly wasn't making a fuss about it.
He had to wonder, though, about what Tadokoro-san had said about the Zecter. He had to know that Kagami knew that Zecters chose civilians. Kagami had tried to recruit in Tendou Souji, after all, and he'd written advice on Kazama Daisuke. And it wasn't like ZECT could force a Zecter to choose a particular person, could it? As far as he knew, if ZECT or the Native Worms could force someone to be host to a Zecter, there wouldn't be need for guesswork and trials; they'd just bring the person and let the Zecter bond with them. There would be no waiting for the Zecter to choose a person.
Unless the Natives knew how and just didn't, because they believed the Zecters' choice as sacred. Which they probably proved when Kagami tried to abandon the Zecter, even though he hadn't seen any Natives trying to dissuade him. Unless Yaguruma-san was really a Native. Which made about as much sense as Tadokoro-san being one. Tadokoro-san had mentioned more than once that he had a brother - in fact, they'd once been to his brother's shop. Which didn't prove that Tadokoro-san wasn't a Native, but it made it rather unlikely. Besides, why would the Natives allow or send one of their own for a Zecter test when he'd never get chosen? Therefore, Tadokoro-san couldn't be a native.
And he wasn't going to be in danger of being a host to this new Zecter, because ZECT would surely find it a host in ZECT, and even if they didn't, he really didn't think it would choose him. After all, there were plenty of people in Tokyo to choose from.
He wondered if Tendou would show up anymore after he left ZECT. Maybe, maybe not. Who knew with Tendou? But a Kagami that was job-hunting and serving tables instead of a ZECT flunky was probably not all that exciting. Tendou had disappeared out of his life when he'd been the host to TheBee Zecter, wouldn't it follow that he'd also disappear out if Kagami had nothing to do with that world anymore?
With luck, the only ZECT person that would affect his life would be his father, who would no doubt be disappointed to find that Kagami had chosen a life outside ZECT.
Of course, Kagami realized, there would always be the doctors. ZECT doctors. He was a host long enough for his physiology to change, so he was stuck with ZECT doctors for the rest of his life. And he intended to live a full, long life, and since he was not going to be in ZECT anymore, he'd just have to be part Worm, or whatever he was now.
Had he remembered to warn Tendou about the part-Worm thing? He wasn't sure he had, not wanting to upset his sometime... lover, since that was the nearest term Kagami could think of for the other man. Most hosts really probably didn't know, or they wouldn't stay recruited. He wondered if Yaguruma-san did. Yaguruma-san probably was closer to being a Native Worm than the rest of them. He probably knew that, too, but he was loyal to ZECT in ways that Kagami couldn't seem to be.
Kagami resolved to tell Tendou the next time Tendou showed up at his doorstep, and put the pondering resolutely out of his head. He had things to tie up and he only had slightly over a day to do them before he left ZECT. For good.
Regarding "Discovering the Sun", I finally figured out how to handle chapter 7 (Mandibles)! Yay!
Here's chapter 7, part 2. I'll be posting it out to its usual place when I'm a bit more with it. This section of Chapter 7 is about 1200 words.
EDIT: Chapter 7 part 2 should be showing up soon on
estinano as well."Kagami," Tadokoro-san said suddenly, "Be careful."
"Eh?" Kagami asked, feeling the warning was coming out of the blue.
"Something about this Zecter test...." Tadokoro-san said, looking sightlessly at the display.
Tadokoro-san didn't want him to have a Zecter, apparently. Kagami had to wonder if he'd stopped Kagami from testing as a host before. Of course, if someone at HQ had wanted Kagami to test for a Zecter, no amount of intervention from Tadokoro-san would work.
Which indicated that the reason it hadn't been so urgent for him to test this new Zecter; maybe his name had only come up because he was TheBee's former host. The fact that he'd tried to reject his Zecter really didn't seem to matter.
He was glad of that, because he was still thinking of leaving ZECT, and that would be impossible to do if another Zecter chose him. Maybe it was best to leave ZECT now, before he could be ordered at any point.
"Tadokoro-san," he said, hoping that said decision wouldn't shock his supervisor, "I'll be leaving ZECT."
Tadokoro-san just looked at him for a moment. "If that's what you want." Kagami was surprised and relieved that his superior wasn't questioning his decision. Things would be much easier if he didn't have to fight Tadokoro-san on this as well as his father.
He wondered, absently, if he'd be stuffed back into Shadow for Yaguruma-san to keep an eye on. Something told him that Yaguruma-san wouldn't be as keen on him quitting as Tadokoro-san was. Well, Tadokoro-san wasn't *keen* on him leaving, but he wasn't arguing.
Tadokoro-san had never argued with him. Occasionally encouraged him to join ZECT full-time, but never pressured him. Tadokoro-san was a good supervisor.
"I'll give you my resignation the day after tomorrow," he added, still testing a little bit, making sure Tadokoro-san was still with him.
"Kagami...." Tadokoro-san said. He was about to say more, but closed his mouth. Kagami stayed still, waiting for an objection, not that it was going to stop him. But it was Tadokoro-san, he'd listen. "Zecters sometimes choose civilians."
Why Tadokoro-san had felt the need to tell him that, he didn't know. After all, he was the sometime liason to Tendou Souji, who was definitely a civilian. But he nodded. "I know."
"Be careful," Tadokoro-san said. "And listen to your heart."
Kagami raised his eyebrows at Tadokoro-san's advice. Tadokoro-san turned, seeming lost in his own thoughts, or at least his own internal debate. Kagami was never sure what Tadokoro-san was thinking of, but he was pretty sure that it was not overly outlandish. Tadokoro-san was a very orderly person.
Tadokoro-san was a great - well, at least good - boss to be working under. He, Kagami, and Misaki-san made a good team.
It would be a shame to leave them, but he was tired of ZECT outside this team and maybe a bit of Shadow. Takemiya-san would surely give him his job back. He'd be able to find a job somewhere else.
* * *
It was not until later on that day he started to wonder. Tadokoro-san had kept him busy, pretty much not given him time to think. Kagami wondered if Tadokoro-san really did support Kagami's decision to leave ZECT. He certainly wasn't making a fuss about it.
He had to wonder, though, about what Tadokoro-san had said about the Zecter. He had to know that Kagami knew that Zecters chose civilians. Kagami had tried to recruit in Tendou Souji, after all, and he'd written advice on Kazama Daisuke. And it wasn't like ZECT could force a Zecter to choose a particular person, could it? As far as he knew, if ZECT or the Native Worms could force someone to be host to a Zecter, there wouldn't be need for guesswork and trials; they'd just bring the person and let the Zecter bond with them. There would be no waiting for the Zecter to choose a person.
Unless the Natives knew how and just didn't, because they believed the Zecters' choice as sacred. Which they probably proved when Kagami tried to abandon the Zecter, even though he hadn't seen any Natives trying to dissuade him. Unless Yaguruma-san was really a Native. Which made about as much sense as Tadokoro-san being one. Tadokoro-san had mentioned more than once that he had a brother - in fact, they'd once been to his brother's shop. Which didn't prove that Tadokoro-san wasn't a Native, but it made it rather unlikely. Besides, why would the Natives allow or send one of their own for a Zecter test when he'd never get chosen? Therefore, Tadokoro-san couldn't be a native.
And he wasn't going to be in danger of being a host to this new Zecter, because ZECT would surely find it a host in ZECT, and even if they didn't, he really didn't think it would choose him. After all, there were plenty of people in Tokyo to choose from.
He wondered if Tendou would show up anymore after he left ZECT. Maybe, maybe not. Who knew with Tendou? But a Kagami that was job-hunting and serving tables instead of a ZECT flunky was probably not all that exciting. Tendou had disappeared out of his life when he'd been the host to TheBee Zecter, wouldn't it follow that he'd also disappear out if Kagami had nothing to do with that world anymore?
With luck, the only ZECT person that would affect his life would be his father, who would no doubt be disappointed to find that Kagami had chosen a life outside ZECT.
Of course, Kagami realized, there would always be the doctors. ZECT doctors. He was a host long enough for his physiology to change, so he was stuck with ZECT doctors for the rest of his life. And he intended to live a full, long life, and since he was not going to be in ZECT anymore, he'd just have to be part Worm, or whatever he was now.
Had he remembered to warn Tendou about the part-Worm thing? He wasn't sure he had, not wanting to upset his sometime... lover, since that was the nearest term Kagami could think of for the other man. Most hosts really probably didn't know, or they wouldn't stay recruited. He wondered if Yaguruma-san did. Yaguruma-san probably was closer to being a Native Worm than the rest of them. He probably knew that, too, but he was loyal to ZECT in ways that Kagami couldn't seem to be.
Kagami resolved to tell Tendou the next time Tendou showed up at his doorstep, and put the pondering resolutely out of his head. He had things to tie up and he only had slightly over a day to do them before he left ZECT. For good.
