Chapter Text
The first day, Tasuku slept.
The cell he'd been confined to wasn't cold, nor uncomfortable. But Tasuku Ryuenji had seen enough cells in his life to recognise one, no matter how dolled-up with luxuries it was. There was no window, just a screen displaying some facsimile of the outside world that made him angrier every time he dared look at it. The shelf next to the wooden desk contained only two books - a well-worn copy of Umibe no Kafka, and a blank hardcover journal with half the pages torn out. The small TV had a cluster of dead pixels in the lower right corner. The bed was perfectly made - a thick, downy quilt with a gold-gilded cover.
Tasuku had tried to stay awake as some form of challenge, to show his captor that a broken heart and beaten body would not reduce him to uselessness. To show Kyoya Gaen that he had not won whatever game he was truly trying to play. But the room was so drainingly offensive to the senses that after an hour, all remains of energy had been sapped from him. So Tasuku had laid down atop the too-soft covers of the bed, and slept.
When he woke, the Dark Core was sitting atop the old, ornate desk, glinting purple in the artificial light. Childishly, he'd almost screamed in shock, throwing a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound that threatened to escape him.
He hated the Core. He hated the reaction it had caused. He hated Kyoya Gaen. Hate was childish.
He hated himself.
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The second day was spent pressed up against the wall the bed was pushed against, feigning sleep. The presence of the empty deck case had disquieted something further in his already darkened heart, causing a stir that chilled his whole body. He couldn't move. He couldn't look at it, yet it was the only thing in his mind. It permeated his thoughts - how, even without one, he'd destroyed Jack's will without hesitation. What would he do with one? What could he do with one?
He wasn't a cheat like Yamazaki, or a lackey like Shido. He didn't pretend to be someone he wasn't like Kyoya Gaen did. He was different, a strong and self-aware person who understood how to fight and survive. How to protect. He was different to all of them. The Core would be different for him, too.
The artificial window had gone dark by the time Tasuku realised what he'd been contemplating. He rolled over on the bed, and lifted his eyes to the desk. From this position, he couldn't see the whole Core, but a faint glow was emanating from the top of it. Like a beacon.
Tasuku watched the light flicker and inch up the wall until he slipped back into true sleep. He dreamed of cliffs, and falling.
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On the third day, he had human contact.
Kyoya Gaen stepped into Tasuku's cell like he was visiting an old friend, looking around the constrictive room with vague curiosity before acknowledging Tasuku with a smile, as if he hadn't expected to see him there. The door closed behind Kyoya, and Tasuku heard a bolt slide into place.
"I'm glad to see you've been eating," Kyoya said in a light tone, helping himself to a seat at the foot of Tasuku's bed. Tasuku drew his knees closer to his chest, putting some space between Kyoya and himself. Kyoya seemed completely unfettered, reacting only by lifting a simple white shopping bag to eye-level. "I brought some peaches. Would you like one?"
Tasuku blinked. Slowly, he shook his head.
"Pity. They're pretty good," Kyoya sighed, lifting a perfectly-formed fruit from the bag to his mouth.
Tasuku watched Kyoya's teeth split the fruit's skin. His incisors were pointed, like a predator's. Top of his food chain.
Kyoya chewed thoughtfully, not looking back at his captive until he'd swallowed the first chunk of peach. When he did turn to face Tasuku once more, his expression was set in what Tasuku could only describe as disappointment. When Tasuku didn't react, Kyoya simply sighed again and took another bite of the fruit, standing and walking to the desk where the Dark Core lay. The light emanating from the Photon Metal seemed to leap excitedly at Kyoya's presence, even before he picked the Core up - the faint purple glow reflecting off of Kyoya's pale skin and attire.
"Don't touch it-!" Tasuku cried, words out of his mouth before he could stop himself. His voice cracked from disuse. Kyoya looked up, the Core already in his hand, light creeping up his arm like it belonged there.
But Kyoya listened, and placed it back down. Tasuku froze as he saw the glow diminish.
Kyoya, suddenly very close, brought a hand up to brush Tasuku's cheek with his fingers. Tasuku didn't allow himself the indulgence of flinching.
"See? It's already yours. You're meant to have it. You're meant to be here. It's destiny."