fluffydeathdealer | [CAMPUS/IC] II

...what? [Hah. That's a weird thought. If he'd been in Kai's world, he might have befriended his mother before she settled down and came out of the darkness...]

If that had happened, I wonder how different things in your world would be by now? Who knows.

[Shaking his head, he looks up at the sky briefly before choosing to focus on the dogs.]

I don't find white hair all that odd, so it's kind of useless to identify someone with. I used to have it when I was human too. And Amane and Pegasus both had it too.

...

[The side-eyeing is turning into an outright frown now as Kai thinks about that. If she had...well. He wouldn't be sitting here now, would he? No, he has to have more faith in his mom than that.]

Maybe the world would've stopped existing sooner. Maybe she never would've ended up there to begin with. Home for me wasn't originally home for her, you know? She was from somewhere different. I think it came back, eventually. She could've gone back...

[Kai trails off. Bits and pieces of conversation overheard through keyholes and from his bed late at night when they thought he was sleeping told him why she didn't. He shrugs before letting out a snort. The curse of the 'silver but looks white damn you lighting' hair.]

It's silver! Stupid lighting.

[It's a dumb thing to grump over, but it makes him feel slightly better.]

Your past self almost ended up with a Keyblade to the face. [He says that almost conversationally, then grins.] But I ended up being persuaded otherwise. Don't think I'd even bother now, actually.

...if I had been in your world, it may well have been consumed earlier. It's probably better for you that it wasn't that way.

[It's an utterly blunt way of putting it.

Tch. He can tell he's out of sorts, with Malik and Harriet out of commission. Tales of death and destruction aren't cheering him up. Now, brownies, on the other hand... He'll just be eating another of those while he thinks.]

My past can take care of himself. He's pretty useless anyway... he could use all the hits he can get.

[Bakura sounds kind of scornful. The thief king isn't high on his list of priorities right now.]

Silver or white, what does it matter?

[Blunt yet pretty accurate. Kai snorts, the grumpy expression slipping away as Surge runs over to lick his hand before darting off again. Silly dog, checking up on him.]

So does that mean I can smack him around if he ever gives Karasu any more crap?

[The prospect of actually having the okay on that is a cheerful thought, until he remembers that she probably wouldn't approve of the help...or his methods. Doesn't matter that he wouldn't be doing anything batshit insane, Kai still wouldn't be just sitting him down for a pleasant talk.]

Eh, forget it. And the hair...I guess it doesn't matter.

[Now that he's been asked, he doesn't have an answer. Great.]

Feel free! That brat's a little too cocky for his own good. I'd kick his ass myself if I could.

[...that was more of an accidental slip than he'd like. In this body, his physical strength is pretty low in comparison to the thief king's... as he'd found out the hard way.

He moves suddenly, leaning in to stare at Kai's hair. It's a little too close, probably, for Kai's liking... but he can't tell straight away. Hopefully Kai doesn't mind him touching it to see.]

Huh... It's hard to tell. It looks purple-tinted in this light.

[And then he's away again, sitting back as if nothing had happened.]

[The cheerfulness is back. Kai smirks at that, then looks Bakura over. Nope, no rude comments, mouth shut-

Wait, Creeper in his face what even. He doesn't actually jerk away until after his hair's been touched, and by then it doesn't matter. Kai blinks a few times before staring at him. What-]

...See, stupid lighting. Purple tint, white, silver...Don't touch my hair again, huh?

[This conversation's going to lead to a nightmare somewhere down the line, he just knows it.]

Hoh...? Are you afraid I'm going to cut it or something? I can't make voodoo dolls or anything like that, so I don't have any reason to do that.

[This is the guy who stole someone's soul for trying to make his host cut his hair. The obvious explanation to him is that Kai's afraid he'll damage his.]

Cut- no.

[Oh Light, voodoo dolls. The one he made of the Thief King. A snicker or two escapes before Kai unfolds himself enough to flop backward on the grass. He really needs to try sticking pins in that again and see if anything happens this time.]

I just don't like people touching my hair.

[Wait, scratch that.]

Unless you're a friend, I don't like people touching my hair.

[That's better.]

[You could have left it at the first one, Kai. He really doesn't care about the semantics. But he files that away for later. He might be able to make use of this information to torment Kai more eventually.]

I can't imagine most people do touch your hair anyway.

[He sounds amused. What are personal space issues?]

Honestly... You people are so very picky.

[Like most of this entire conversation couldn't be used that way.]

When I was a kid-

[Hair ruffles galore. And 'Jem had had this weird obsession with it for a while, but nope.]

There's a lot of stuff to be picky about. Weren't you ever about anything? Aren't you now?

[Tell him why he cares, this is just ridiculous.]

...hm.

[He has to think about that one. Is he picky about anything?]

Who knows? I don't remember anything about when I was alive... and there was no point being picky when I was dead. Even my taste buds change depending on whose body I'm in.

I guess I'm picky about bodies... If they're uncomfortable, I get kind of antsy. And I've never liked mages, so I refuse to use more than one or two in my decks.

Does that count?

Not anything?

[It's weird, maybe he's just getting used to him, but sometimes Kai almost forgets about the body thing. Not that he's stealing Ryou's, but that before him he would've used other people. Could still use them now.

Such a creepy thought. Kai makes a face from where he's still flopped, then turns his head to look at Bakura.]

I guess. Does the mage thing only apply to your cards?

I was totally blank in terms of the memories of my life until a few months ago... and the only thing I've managed to find since then are what my goals are. Nothing else. Even hearing the thief king speak of them doesn't trigger anything. It must be part of the seal.

[He speaks of the seal as if he's speaking of the sun coming out; as if it's something entirely ordinary.]

Who knows? Magic users still make me feel a little odd, but that's probably a holdover from the past I don't remember. I'd have to be pretty fucking stupid to hate magic when I use it myself. Power is power.

[Items and Doors. He could always try and bug him for more than what he learned from bitty Bakura, but he's pretty sure it wouldn't be a good idea, even with how well they're tolerating each other right now.]

Seal?

[Okay, he can ask about that.]

...It is, isn't it.

[But he's still never making that mistake again. Okay, maybe Bakura's right and he's not a hero anymore. Thing is, Kai never considered himself one in the first place, so that doesn't sting too much. It's the thought he could be considered a villain in any sense of the word that really bites.]

Heheh... The spell that binds me to this thing.

[He picks up the Ring and jingles it leisurely, a strangely amused look on his face.]

It's ancient magic... There's only one other like me out there. I won't be able to break it until I break the seal on him. While the seal's in place, it cuts off our memories. We're playing a game without knowing the rules or the stakes or even the reason we started... it's quite fun~!

[He sounds almost childish. But at least it's distracting him from his low mood.]

[The jingling gets Surge's attention pretty quick, so say hi to at least one dog panting happily in your face, Bakura. Kai makes a half-hearted attempt at trying to shoo him away before giving up to tuck both arms under his head.]

The Pharaoh, right? [Lucky guess, probably.] How's that fun, I'd at least want to know the rules!

[Wait, remember who you're talking to, Kai.]

[Woah, hi there, Surge.]

Oi, oi, don't be so hasty~... This isn't a toy.

[Despite his chiding tone, he reaches out to pet the dog casually, since he's not going away too easily.]

Now go play with Anubis-chan... He's going to feel neglected if you keep rushing over!

[Sitting back, he looks over at Kai.]

That's right, the Nameless Pharaoh. As to that... hahah, you're not much of a gamer, are you? The tenseness of the situation makes it all the more interesting! The risk, the knowledge that your very soul is on the line... heheh, it's a thrill that can't be beaten!

...though it's really a pretty slow-moving game right now! It took three thousand years for my opponent to even wake up and start playing properly, after all.

[Surge doesn't care much about the shiny jingly toy anymore, he's just happy to be getting petted. He lets out a whine as Bakura turns his attention to the dork-in-charge, but almost immediately dashes back to playfully jump on Anubis.

Geeze, that dog. Kai guesses Surge liking Bakura more will make things easier for Ryou, but he's going to miss the Creeper alarm.]

Board games and video games, sure. Normal stuff. I don't mind the thrill of things like that. But what you're talking about...Back home, fighting monsters where my Heart's at stake is bad enough. Not like I could enjoy this like you.

Not like I'd want to, either.

[Kai grunts as he pushes himself back into a sitting position. He's still bothered by the fact he was enjoying siccing Heartless on Bakura. It's just not him.]

...Maybe he's not all that worried about your chances.

He doesn't even know we're playing, so I wouldn't be surprised.

[Yes, he just said he was playing a three millennia long game with deadly stakes against someone who didn't know he was playing.

Drawing his legs up, he gets more comfortable on the grass.]

After three thousand years, I get bored pretty easily. I like normal games too, but the types with risks like that... they're the ones that I really look forward to the most.

Of course, I don't ever intend to lose.

[And that statement leads to Kai simply staring at him for a few moments before rubbing the bridge of his nose. Seriously, what.]

You give me headaches, be proud of yourself. Not much really does.

[Besides overdoing healing spells and warping Barrier into odd shapes, anyway.]

So boredom turned you into a Creeper? [It's not really meant to be a smart ass comment, he's just asking it without thinking. Once he realizes it slipped out, Kai laughs sharply, holding up a hand.] Yeah, forget that. What do you get if you win, besides memories?

[Bakura grins a little at him in response to that expression. Ah, he loves it when people get thrown off by him. It's so fun~!

Though the question turns that grin into a frown. Even if Kai said to forget it... he might as well answer.]

No, not exactly. I don't know the details... but when I woke up in it, I was essentially reborn from the Darkness of the other world. I'm me... but not me.

Boredom just riles me up.

[The other part, though, he's not saying fully. He'll say the obvious part, the part he's open with... but the other part isn't something he's willing to say. To Harriet, he'd told it. Malik knew already, but they hadn't discussed it. That Seal on the gate to the Other World... it was pretty much going to fuck up the world when it got broken.]

What I'll get is power. Isn't that enough?

[They've got that in common, though Kai's mostly just happy when he can throw the Creeper for a loop.]

Reborn from the Darkness... [Oddly enough, Kai has to repress a shiver at that. Ordinarily the phrasing wouldn't have bothered him, but... Maybe it was because Bakura was the one that said it.

He ends up cracking a grin at the boredom comment though. Oh, that was obvious.]

I hope I've been helping with relieving that, at least.

[Kai runs a hand through his hair, shifting to get a little more comfortable. Ugh, that was a fun question. How many times had he asked himself that in the last couple months leading to his epic screw-up?]

Depends on what kind it is, I guess. What're you going to do with it?

[Sunshine and roses and puppies for all, Kai, what do you think?]

I told you once before. I'm the one that's gone furthest along the road to the dark world. Being called a 'Creeper' doesn't offend me... despite your intentions.

[His lips twitch into a twisted smirk.]

It's almost a compliment!

[Too bad, Kai... Your long-term insult really wasn't all that insulting at all! His grin only widens at the rest.]

You've been entertaining! If you hadn't, I wouldn't have bothered playing with you at all.

[And isn't that a little unpleasant wording? True though it might be. Boring people are tolerated, not sought out.

The aftermath of that game is never far from his mind. That goal never leaves. Never disappears. It's a reality he can't forget. Power is power, and power is everything. Being weak like this is distasteful. He may have powers beyond humans, but that's nothing. He wants to have power beyond anything. Gods or demons... mages or warriors. But part of him is aware that if he wins... it's almost a death sentence for him. Winning that game means that everything entertaining will disappear. All challenge... all opponents. Ultimate power is boring, after all. When that time comes... maybe he'll just sleep. Destroy everything that he doesn't like, watch the Pharaoh disappear, his hopes shattered... and then finally rest.

...thinking about things like that is also distasteful. He doesn't want to think of the aftermath of his victory. A hedonistic nature like his isn't one that thinks too far ahead. Enjoyment is everything... and thinking of that... is almost enough to shatter that enjoyment.]

Who knows? The fun part's getting there. The future can take care of itself.

Well, maybe it started out that way. Now it's just habit. [It really is. Even if they ended up friends someday (Never going to happen, ever), he'd still be calling him that.]

Eh, it gives me something to do besides study magic and draw. [Playing with...the image of a cat 'playing' with a mouse comes to mind, but this cat has fangs and batwings. Kai scowls a little at that, then nearly snickers as he imagines the mouse with a teeny Keyblade.]

...I almost wish I could look at things like that.

[He can't believe he actually said that out loud. And to Bakura, for Light's sake.]

Weren't you learning to duel? That's a fun way to pass the time too.

[He stares at Kai. Despite his own tendency to seemingly random mad laughter, the amused look on Kai's face as he holds back a snicker confuses him. What's so amusing? Oh well, it probably doesn't matter. Though being told anything he thinks is somewhat valuable in its own right... surprises him. Kai really does seem to be trying to be nice.

...how weird.]

Worrying about the future? It's a uniquely human trait. Most other creatures don't think farther than they have to. It's too easy for life to be cut short, and won't all that time spent worrying and planning be wasted if that happens?

It's like DMing. You can have the best laid out plan and have it thrown off by a decision your players make. If that happens, you can whine and cry all you want, but you'll still have to change your plans. Better to just roll with it.

[...Bakura has a surprisingly chill philosophy.]

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