judgementkazzy | inbox//recolle;

[Tatsuo is breathing rapidly, like he's just gone two rounds with his karate sensei back to back. For a moment, he just lays there on the floor, one hand clutching at his stomach. Then Kiryu's vioce jerks him back to the present and he looks up at his friend.]

Yeah, I'm okay. I just...

[His mouth is dry and he closes it for a moment before continuing.]

I got another one of those memories.

[With a slight groan he pushes himself into a sitting position, gingerly poking at his stomach again as if to check it's still there.]

Oh.

[ Kaz nods, understanding in his tone even with what little he says. ]

Did something bad happen in it?

[Tatso blows out a couple of long breaths as he works to bring his heart rate back to a normal level.]

There was a building on fire. Not my apartment, a different building. There was a narrow hallway and storage rooms. The place was going up like a matchbox.

Probably not an accident, huh?

[ Kiryu takes another bite of his ice cream. ]

You want some? I can get you a spoon.

No, there were some other guys with me. Three of them. One accused another of being responsible, but he said that someone was trying to 'erase' us.

[Looks at the ice cream. That actually sounds really good right about now.]

Yes. I could use some sugar.

Sounds intense.

[ Kiryu hands Tatsuo the pint and grabs a spoon from the kitchen. He comes back and offers it to Tatsuo. ]

You can have the rest.

I will buy you a new one in the morning.

[ice cream, get in my mouth]

Yeah. It was super intense. I'm pretty sure I was injured 'cause the third guy was helping me walk.

Don't worry about it. I ate half of it already.

[ He waves him off. It's just ice cream!! ]

That's awful. Do you remember why you were hurt?

[ What kind of past life are you living, Tatsuo? ]

[Kiryu is the best.]

No, all I can remember is being in horrific pain. And there was blood on my shirt... and my hand. I might have been shot.

[He kind of doesn't want to know anymore!]

[ Kiryu frowns. ]

That sounds awful. I'm so sorry.

[He pauses with the spoon stuck in the ice cream.]

The really weird bit? Right before we got outside, the guy who said the fire was to erase us, he got grabbed by these people in gas masks. Like, what the hell were these people involved with?

Wow. It sounds like you must've been in deep.

[ Now that's what I call crime... ]

[he eats a couple spoonfuls before answering]

I'm still not quite ready to accept this guy as some past version of myself. Maybe a parallel version existing in another dimension, but not a past version.

Oh, I hadn't thought of that. A parallel universe...?

[ Not any crazier than the other options, is it? ]

Sounds like parallel-you was in some trouble.

Everything seems too recent in the memories I get. If it was a past life, then the technology should at least be older. But with a parallel universe things could be running co-currently. And it would account for the people who see weird stuff, like monsters and zombies.

[scrapes the bottom of the pint]

Well, it's not like I can help him any.

Hm, I hadn't thought about the technology... But you might be onto something with the weird stuff...

[ Like fighting tigers with your bare hands. ]

Right. Sucks to be woken up by it, though. I'm sorry.

[Tatsuo groans]

Tell me about it. I have work in the morning. This couldn't have waited until a more convenient point in my sleep cycle? Like when I'm wide awake?

But thanks for listening to me gripe about this, Kaz.

Of course. No problem, Tatsuo.

[ He nods, holding his hand out for the empty ice cream container. ]

I'll throw this out for you, you should get some sleep if you can.

[he hands the carton and spoon back to Kaz]

Yeah, I'll try.

[he finally hauls his butt off the floor and sits on the futon]

How are you doing with all of this?

Not bad.

[ He shrugs. Things could be worse, certainly. ]

Majima and I talk about it pretty often. If you ask me, it feels like the past but not the past. It's weird, but I don't know that I'd mind if the me I remember is actually me.

The past but not the past. Huh.

[That's probably the thing that scares him the most about these memories. How nicely the settle into his brain, like they think they belong there, squishing up against the memories that constitute his current life.]

Well, I'm glad yours aren't bothering you the way mine are. The other you must be a super amazing guy if he's able to improve on you any.

Yeah. It's hard to explain.

[ But at least everyone seems to be going through a similar thing, so there's that. ]

Thanks. [ Kaz scratches the back of his neck... ] I think other me must've had a lot of crazy stuff happen to him because most of what I've remembered has been pretty odd...

Odd? In what way, if you don't mind my asking?

[pls tell him about the tigers]

[ He's gonna tell him about the tigers. ]

Well, I remembered fighting two tigers with my fists.

[ That's definitely The Oddest. ]

[Tatsuo grins]

That is badass.

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