13; video

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji's MIA since Sunday morning. He hadn't thought to warn anyone about where he was going, since it wasn't supposed to take this long.

Now, Souji's lying on his back on his futon, on top of the blanket and fully clothed. The device is on the floor to one side, capturing a very boring feed of Souji not moving.

At all.

Then he gasps, the sound strangled, his chest heaving like he's never breathed before. He opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling for a minute before sitting up, moving as though his whole body aches. One hand goes to his head and he sits there, disoriented for several minutes before getting up and walking out of frame.]

Comments

[action]

[jivitadana]

[Another beat. A test. Something.]

Isn't that what you're good at?

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

[Stop mimicking me, Minatooooo]

It was an experiment.

[action]

[jivitadana]

You already knew what would happen.

[And you still did it.]

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

I wanted to verify if it was true. We all hear it when we get here, but no one we know of has experienced it.

[action]

[jivitadana]

[...]

Go wait by the swimming pool in a couple days then.

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

You've done it before. Why are you angry that I did it?

[action]

[jivitadana]

[That question almost makes Minato get even more upset. Actually, it does, he couldn't deny that.]

You act like it isn't important that you died.

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

Was it less important when you did?

[action]

[jivitadana]

That isn't the point.

You died. Do you think I wanted that?

And you died. As if it doesn't mean anything to you.

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

I'd say the same thing to you.

[action]

[jivitadana]

[No matter how skilled one was at healing, no matter how many lives had managed to be saved, the one thing that couldn't escape any living thing was death. He knew that.

But...]

... Are you saying that I don't think death means anything to me?

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

I think you have a double standard when it comes to people suffering. As long as it's only you who does, it's fine with you.

[action]

[jivitadana]

And?

[That's the way it should be and it would always be that way. That's the way his journey had ended.]

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji's never addressed Minato as though he were his leader, the way he's sometimes done to the Investigation Team before. He's never taken this steely tone with Minato, but he is now.]

It isn't your choice.

[action]

[jivitadana]

[Minato also steeled himself, having already sharpened his weapon.]

You can't expect me not to do something about it if I can.

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

If you can't respect your friends enough to let them make their own decisions, how can you help anyone at all?

[action]

[jivitadana]

I can't help you if you're dead.

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

You aren't a messiah. Not everyone can be saved. Not everyone wants to be saved.

[action]

[jivitadana]

[There.

There it is. Leave it to Souji to be the one to tell him. To tighten the wires around him and yet tell him that it was completely pointless.]

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

This isn't home. Wonderland isn't the Fall. And you did the same damned thing.

I make my decisions and I'll suffer the consequences for them.

[action]

[jivitadana]

[When that is all one has to go back to, to go back to that consequence, the final consequence after the final decision, it is hard to break free from that. It was hard to break free at all.]

I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.

[Right. Minato had been taught that before.]

... But it isn't as though your decisions only affect you and you alone.

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

I'm aware of that.

[action]

[jivitadana]

So why did you say it that way?

[action]

[eatsyourscience]

Because when you killed yourself, you weren't the only one affected, but you dealt with the consequences yourself. This is exactly the same thing.

[action]

[jivitadana]

Then what do you want me to do?