Twists of Fate [Part 14]
Nov. 14th, 2014 11:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonFandom: Noblesse
Summary: Nakida’s a hacker in the middle of a job to find some information. Except they’re not the only one breaking into the building that night - there’s a silver-haired guy walking around like cameras don’t exist. If he wants to get caught, it’s not their problem.
Huian’s on guard duty to protect the information they’re after. Usually it’s quiet - all she has to do is enter the system, keep an eye on the camera feeds and patrol around the clusters of data to make sure no-one gets to them.
Their pasts connect them, even if they don’t remember. And the past does tend to come back.
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Reincarnation fic! :D Written for nano! So expect some weirdness as I churn this out, haha.
Genre: General.
Word count: 2,509
Total word count: 31,688
Status: Work in progress
It was a button-up top; so long as he didn't do up all the buttons, he should be able to squeeze into it. "Are you okay wearing this?"
He glanced at it and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."
They opened up the bag, the bag expanding as air filled it. While they took out the top, Kang-dae stared at Huian. From what they could see, it was at her tattoo.
"Here," they said, holding it out.
He took it and pulled it on with a little difficulty. But he got it on, even if he could only do up a few buttons.
When that was done, Kang-dae frowned again before flicking his gaze up at them. "...Do you believe in reincarnation...?"
They raised their eyebrows at the question and held back their flippant answer of them being lovers in a previous life. Except... Nakida stayed silent, turning that idea over in their head. They weren't religious, didn't practice most of the teachings, though they did honour their ancestors on the days they were meant to.
Reincarnation was something that was used for plot devices, for lovers to find each other across lifetimes. Nakida couldn't deny that there was something between them and Kang-dae, how he'd reacted to them, how there was an almost intangible familiarity to him.
And they'd said they would decide if they believed or not.
"Huh," they said, leaning back on the headboard, closing up the bag and watching it compress again. "I do now."
They closed most of the windows hovering around them, keeping the police chatter open as they continued to mull the idea over. "How come you remember it so well? I wouldn't have realised if you hadn't reacted the way you had."
They'd been watching Kang-dae and saw his wince before he hid it.
...Right. Of course. "You...didn't die, did you." His IDs tracked back over a hundred years, they knew that. He wasn't something trying to remember through a filter of new memories; he'd always had them - he'd experienced it happening.
"...No."
And that explained why he'd reacted the way he had to their avatar when they'd first met.
"Ah, sorry."
"It was a long time ago." He shrugged.
"Mmhm. It still means a lot to you." Again, or else he wouldn't have reacted the way he had. And did that mean Huian was also someone he'd known before...? She'd known an important name of his and by the way he kept staring at her tattoo -
Which was an almost match on his own wrist, from the shape and size. Huian's was simpler, like... Nakida huffed. Like it had gone through a filter or someone was seeing Kang-dae's from a distance. Damn. What were the chances of meeting two people from their previous life at the same time?
And who both had vague recollections as well.
He didn't answer that. Instead, he closed his eyes and opened his communicator again. "You probably still want proof, don't you?"
Nakida watched him do that. "Are you asking me because you don't think I believe you, or because that's what your Tao would want?"
Kang-dae froze. "A-ah."
It was obvious to see what his answer was.
"Show me it anyway," they said, leaning forward.
He pursed his lips, his gaze inward and then nodded, brushing his hair away from his face. "All right."
His interface was still painful to look at, but he got to his photo album and opened it up. Going by the number in the corner, there were a few hundred pictures there.
He flicked right to the start and opened up the first one.
Oh.
That-
Oh...
It was a picture of three people, three male-bodied, all of them wearing black suits. In the centre was Kang-dae, whose shoulders were being held by the one on his right. Kang-dae had a skittish expression on his face, like the picture had been a surprise and he didn't know what to do. He was turning towards the one on his right, his mouth open like he was going to ask a question.
The one on his right was Tao. From the bowlcut, the white stripe in his black hair, light skin and smiling towards the camera, it was the Tao Nakida had constructed. The only difference they could see was his eyes were black instead of blue, and some black bangles peeked out from under his sleeve. They hadn't put black nail polish on their Tao either.
And even then, Tao's eyes had been one of the things Nakida had spent the most time thinking about, neither of them looking quite right to Nakida before they'd let a randomiser tell them what to make Tao's eyes. They'd never put bangles on their Tao, but wore them on occasion themselves.
The one on Kang-dae's left-
"Wait..." they murmured, turning away and opening up one of their folders on their console. Kang-dae didn't say anything and they scanned through the files they had until they found the one they wanted.
The file opened up to one of their sketch files, where they'd filled the entire page with miscellaneous thing that had caught their eye. Or something that had been on their mind at the time and they'd let their hand wander.
Where was it...
It had been next to the couple with the - there! They zoomed into the picture they wanted, and exhaled, their eyes going wide.
They hadn't imagined it.
In front of them was a drawing they'd done a few days ago of Kang-dae and the long-haired one. They'd coloured in the hair with broad sweeps of purple, not knowing why but just wanting to make sure that the colour was there. And that was who was standing on Kang-dae's other side in his photo, a long hair-tie glinting in the background.
"Damn," they muttered. There wasn't any denying that there was something going on and while Kang-dae could have made the pictures of Tao to make his point, that didn't explain how Nakida had drawn the other before Kang-dae had said anything.
"Can I flick through?" they asked, and he nodded, swiping the folder for them to see.
They started to go through photos. A lot of them seemed candid, most of them with the trio one way or another. Later, there were other subjects, two with white hair and Nakida paused at the two new ones, who didn't look surprised. Blond and black haired, and with those clothes... They knew them too, had drawn them before as well.
Kang-dae's parents. Nakida hadn't recognised the blond one at a glance, not when he'd been wearing more casual clothes in the call.
"Tao..." Kang-dae started, his voice just over a murmur. "He liked to steal our phones and take pictures of everyone."
Nakida could see that; most of the photos seemed to be taken by Tao, his arm raised towards the camera. They didn't say anything, letting him talk. Nakida didn't think he was really talking to them, his gaze focused on the photos.
"Said he wanted to make sure we always had something to remember each other by."
Ouch.
There were kids there as well, wearing the same uniform as the white-haired people as they crowded around a table, cheering over a board game, the table littered with snacks.
The next file Nakida swiped through was a video, not a photo. They glanced at Kang-dae and he was frowning, his eyebrows bunched together.
"I don't know what this one is; you can play it."
Taking that as permission, Nakida pressed the play icon.
Someone was walking through a corridor and then using the camera to peer around a corner. It opened up to a large living-kitchen room, with a TV taking up most of a wall. How old was this video - it wasn't a hologram.
Nakida saw the head of silver hair just before someone started talking.
[
A groan and Kang-dae tilted his head back to blearily glare at the speaker.
[
[
[
[
Kang-dae batted the hand away, glowering. [
Tao didn't seem to be perturbed by that rejection, trying to poke him again. [
This time, Kang-dae let himself be poked in the shoulder, sighing. [
The angle of the camera changed, obscured by clothes. Was Tao holding it against himself?
[
...Oooh.
[
There was a scuffle and then the video cut out.
"Hah…" Kang-dae was rubbing his forehead, a pained expression on his face.
"He was persistent, wasn't he?" Nakida said, their lips twitching at the antics.
"Yeah, he was," he murmured, sighing.
"Hmm..." Nakida considered the number of photos left in the album and then shook their head. "Thanks." They pushed the folder back to Kang-dae. They didn't need to see more; they were convinced. Looking through more of the folder was going through something personal and there was no need for that.
He nodded, looking over the folder before closing it. When he closed his eyes again, exhaling, Nakida said, "Nakida."
Kang-dae tilted his head at them, a crease between his eyebrows again. "Huh?"
"My name," they added to clarify. "Nakida's my name." If he had problems setting them apart from Tao, then giving him another name to call them would be a start to help.
His eyes widened. "Ah."
"And I'm agender," they said, their lips twisting up into a smirk. "So 'they' pronouns for me."
Kang-dae's gaze drifted again and it wasn't the closing of an expression, an indignant expectation of an explanation or wariness. That was good.
"Nakida..." he murmured, nodding. "All right."
A yawn blindsided Nakida and they raised a hand to cover it. Yeah, their body was done for the day and wanted rest.
They closed most of the apps, leaving the police one running. "I'm going to sleep." Though that was was obvious. They could work out a plan of what to do once their brain could actually think.
Kang-dae held out their pillow towards them, his hair covering his eyes.
...Hm... Nakida eyed him and sighed, their stomach twisting. Didn't want to look at them, huh? Maybe they shouldn't have told him their gender after all.
They took the offered pillow and-
"M-21."
-blinked. Was that...? They stayed silent, setting the pillow by their side.
"That's...my name," he said, lifting his head to look at them.
They huffed, chuckling. Ishibil. What his father had been about to say in the call. "Damn." They ran a hand over their hair. "I guess you're not the only one who has expectations. Okay," they said, nodding. "Do you want me to call you that?" That name would be one to draw attention.
He snorted, shaking his head. "Kang-dae's fine."
"All right." They put their console on the bedside and slid under the blankets. "See you in the morning."
"Yeah." Kang-dae's voice was faint. "Sleep well."
Was that something he used to say to Tao? Nakida couldn't dwell on it too much, already drifting to sleep.
* * *
Shit. M-21's heart was racing, his breathing barely kept in check. He couldn't believe he'd just given his name like that.
But it was - it wasn't Tao. It was Nakida. Who was agender. He had to make sure to remember that. Because sh - they weren't Tao. They were their own person. He'd been trying to tell himself that since the first time they'd met, but now it was easier to see, even if he could still see some echoes of Tao there. It just didn't mean he could treat he - them like they were Tao.
And then there was Huian, who had recognised him on sight and had Dark Spear active in her. Nakida wasn't the same - there hadn't been the same reaction when M-21 had carried he - them on his back. But it could still happen, something could trigger Dark Spear becoming active in them.
If Dark Spear had always been active in Huian, she wouldn't have been able to live for so long without bringing attention to herself. And what could have triggered her... M-21 sighed, slumping his shoulders, bracing his hands on Nakida's bed.
The Union would have done it. Or just being in a situation that was so similar to what Takeo had gone through before.
And Huian had to be Takeo's reincarnation, what with how Dark Spear hadn't tried to eat him (for whatever reason; Dark Spear recognised him as a comrade? That was...disconcerting. Unless Dark Spear was also carrying Takeo's feelings) and Huian's tattoo.
The Union could have given her it, but it was faded at the edges, some of the colour washed out; Huian had gotten the tattoo years ago. It could have been something she'd gotten at the training the Union had given her but it didn't seem like something the Union would do. The tattoo was different, more basic. The Union could have changed how they branded their experiments, but this didn't feel quite right.
He got to his feet, listening to the police chatter as he went to the bathroom. He could leave right now, go to the security building now that he had a better idea where the entrance was, but he couldn't and he knew it. Which was why he was rewetting the washcloth instead.
Huian could still be consumed by Dark Spear; she wasn't safe yet.
He wrung out the washcloth and went back to Huian's side. This time he put his fingertips to Huian's head first; she was hot, sweat beading there. Like he thought, Huian's brow creased at his touch, dark tendrils snaking out of her skin. They twisted around his fingers, tightening - then stopped.
It stayed like that for a few seconds, and while it was distracted, M-21 slid the washcloth on.
Dark Spear curled around it but didn't try tearing into it. Good.
That done, M-21 went to his bed, opening up his communicator again. It had been a while since he'd last looked through the album…
___________________
I'd really wanted to have Nakida give M-21 a black off-shoulder top, haha.
Whoops, so I forgot about M-21's tattoo in the previous part.
Summary: Nakida’s a hacker in the middle of a job to find some information. Except they’re not the only one breaking into the building that night - there’s a silver-haired guy walking around like cameras don’t exist. If he wants to get caught, it’s not their problem.
Huian’s on guard duty to protect the information they’re after. Usually it’s quiet - all she has to do is enter the system, keep an eye on the camera feeds and patrol around the clusters of data to make sure no-one gets to them.
Their pasts connect them, even if they don’t remember. And the past does tend to come back.
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Reincarnation fic! :D Written for nano! So expect some weirdness as I churn this out, haha.
Genre: General.
Word count: 2,509
Total word count: 31,688
Status: Work in progress
It was a button-up top; so long as he didn't do up all the buttons, he should be able to squeeze into it. "Are you okay wearing this?"
He glanced at it and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."
They opened up the bag, the bag expanding as air filled it. While they took out the top, Kang-dae stared at Huian. From what they could see, it was at her tattoo.
"Here," they said, holding it out.
He took it and pulled it on with a little difficulty. But he got it on, even if he could only do up a few buttons.
When that was done, Kang-dae frowned again before flicking his gaze up at them. "...Do you believe in reincarnation...?"
They raised their eyebrows at the question and held back their flippant answer of them being lovers in a previous life. Except... Nakida stayed silent, turning that idea over in their head. They weren't religious, didn't practice most of the teachings, though they did honour their ancestors on the days they were meant to.
Reincarnation was something that was used for plot devices, for lovers to find each other across lifetimes. Nakida couldn't deny that there was something between them and Kang-dae, how he'd reacted to them, how there was an almost intangible familiarity to him.
And they'd said they would decide if they believed or not.
"Huh," they said, leaning back on the headboard, closing up the bag and watching it compress again. "I do now."
They closed most of the windows hovering around them, keeping the police chatter open as they continued to mull the idea over. "How come you remember it so well? I wouldn't have realised if you hadn't reacted the way you had."
They'd been watching Kang-dae and saw his wince before he hid it.
...Right. Of course. "You...didn't die, did you." His IDs tracked back over a hundred years, they knew that. He wasn't something trying to remember through a filter of new memories; he'd always had them - he'd experienced it happening.
"...No."
And that explained why he'd reacted the way he had to their avatar when they'd first met.
"Ah, sorry."
"It was a long time ago." He shrugged.
"Mmhm. It still means a lot to you." Again, or else he wouldn't have reacted the way he had. And did that mean Huian was also someone he'd known before...? She'd known an important name of his and by the way he kept staring at her tattoo -
Which was an almost match on his own wrist, from the shape and size. Huian's was simpler, like... Nakida huffed. Like it had gone through a filter or someone was seeing Kang-dae's from a distance. Damn. What were the chances of meeting two people from their previous life at the same time?
And who both had vague recollections as well.
He didn't answer that. Instead, he closed his eyes and opened his communicator again. "You probably still want proof, don't you?"
Nakida watched him do that. "Are you asking me because you don't think I believe you, or because that's what your Tao would want?"
Kang-dae froze. "A-ah."
It was obvious to see what his answer was.
"Show me it anyway," they said, leaning forward.
He pursed his lips, his gaze inward and then nodded, brushing his hair away from his face. "All right."
His interface was still painful to look at, but he got to his photo album and opened it up. Going by the number in the corner, there were a few hundred pictures there.
He flicked right to the start and opened up the first one.
Oh.
That-
Oh...
It was a picture of three people, three male-bodied, all of them wearing black suits. In the centre was Kang-dae, whose shoulders were being held by the one on his right. Kang-dae had a skittish expression on his face, like the picture had been a surprise and he didn't know what to do. He was turning towards the one on his right, his mouth open like he was going to ask a question.
The one on his right was Tao. From the bowlcut, the white stripe in his black hair, light skin and smiling towards the camera, it was the Tao Nakida had constructed. The only difference they could see was his eyes were black instead of blue, and some black bangles peeked out from under his sleeve. They hadn't put black nail polish on their Tao either.
And even then, Tao's eyes had been one of the things Nakida had spent the most time thinking about, neither of them looking quite right to Nakida before they'd let a randomiser tell them what to make Tao's eyes. They'd never put bangles on their Tao, but wore them on occasion themselves.
The one on Kang-dae's left-
"Wait..." they murmured, turning away and opening up one of their folders on their console. Kang-dae didn't say anything and they scanned through the files they had until they found the one they wanted.
The file opened up to one of their sketch files, where they'd filled the entire page with miscellaneous thing that had caught their eye. Or something that had been on their mind at the time and they'd let their hand wander.
Where was it...
It had been next to the couple with the - there! They zoomed into the picture they wanted, and exhaled, their eyes going wide.
They hadn't imagined it.
In front of them was a drawing they'd done a few days ago of Kang-dae and the long-haired one. They'd coloured in the hair with broad sweeps of purple, not knowing why but just wanting to make sure that the colour was there. And that was who was standing on Kang-dae's other side in his photo, a long hair-tie glinting in the background.
"Damn," they muttered. There wasn't any denying that there was something going on and while Kang-dae could have made the pictures of Tao to make his point, that didn't explain how Nakida had drawn the other before Kang-dae had said anything.
"Can I flick through?" they asked, and he nodded, swiping the folder for them to see.
They started to go through photos. A lot of them seemed candid, most of them with the trio one way or another. Later, there were other subjects, two with white hair and Nakida paused at the two new ones, who didn't look surprised. Blond and black haired, and with those clothes... They knew them too, had drawn them before as well.
Kang-dae's parents. Nakida hadn't recognised the blond one at a glance, not when he'd been wearing more casual clothes in the call.
"Tao..." Kang-dae started, his voice just over a murmur. "He liked to steal our phones and take pictures of everyone."
Nakida could see that; most of the photos seemed to be taken by Tao, his arm raised towards the camera. They didn't say anything, letting him talk. Nakida didn't think he was really talking to them, his gaze focused on the photos.
"Said he wanted to make sure we always had something to remember each other by."
Ouch.
There were kids there as well, wearing the same uniform as the white-haired people as they crowded around a table, cheering over a board game, the table littered with snacks.
The next file Nakida swiped through was a video, not a photo. They glanced at Kang-dae and he was frowning, his eyebrows bunched together.
"I don't know what this one is; you can play it."
Taking that as permission, Nakida pressed the play icon.
Someone was walking through a corridor and then using the camera to peer around a corner. It opened up to a large living-kitchen room, with a TV taking up most of a wall. How old was this video - it wasn't a hologram.
Nakida saw the head of silver hair just before someone started talking.
[
And here we have a sleeping wolf, exhausted from a day's work.] The speaker was talking in a whisper, like they were in a documentary.A groan and Kang-dae tilted his head back to blearily glare at the speaker.
[
Fuck off, Tao. I c'n hear you.] So that's who was behind the camera. And that was what Tao sounded like; it was deeper than what Nakida expected. [
The wolf growls at a completely innocent passerby because he's a grouch.] Tao had lost the whisper, his voice going to a more normal tone, walking over. Even without seeing Tao's face, Nakida just knew he had a wide grin spread across his face. [
Tao!] ...And Nakida had heard that tone from Kang-dae before. That explained his exasperated tone, if this is what Tao had been like with him. [
Okay, okay. But you need to go to bed.] A hand appeared from the bottom of the screen and prodded Kang-dae. Kang-dae batted the hand away, glowering. [
Do not.] Tao didn't seem to be perturbed by that rejection, trying to poke him again. [
Mmhm. C'mon, ajussi, you'll have a crick in your neck if you sleep like that and then the children'll worry.]This time, Kang-dae let himself be poked in the shoulder, sighing. [
I won't.]The angle of the camera changed, obscured by clothes. Was Tao holding it against himself?
[
Tao, you fucking asshole! Put me down!]...Oooh.
[
It's this or dragging you u - hey! Hold still or else I'll drop you!] There was a scuffle and then the video cut out.
"Hah…" Kang-dae was rubbing his forehead, a pained expression on his face.
"He was persistent, wasn't he?" Nakida said, their lips twitching at the antics.
"Yeah, he was," he murmured, sighing.
"Hmm..." Nakida considered the number of photos left in the album and then shook their head. "Thanks." They pushed the folder back to Kang-dae. They didn't need to see more; they were convinced. Looking through more of the folder was going through something personal and there was no need for that.
He nodded, looking over the folder before closing it. When he closed his eyes again, exhaling, Nakida said, "Nakida."
Kang-dae tilted his head at them, a crease between his eyebrows again. "Huh?"
"My name," they added to clarify. "Nakida's my name." If he had problems setting them apart from Tao, then giving him another name to call them would be a start to help.
His eyes widened. "Ah."
"And I'm agender," they said, their lips twisting up into a smirk. "So 'they' pronouns for me."
Kang-dae's gaze drifted again and it wasn't the closing of an expression, an indignant expectation of an explanation or wariness. That was good.
"Nakida..." he murmured, nodding. "All right."
A yawn blindsided Nakida and they raised a hand to cover it. Yeah, their body was done for the day and wanted rest.
They closed most of the apps, leaving the police one running. "I'm going to sleep." Though that was was obvious. They could work out a plan of what to do once their brain could actually think.
Kang-dae held out their pillow towards them, his hair covering his eyes.
...Hm... Nakida eyed him and sighed, their stomach twisting. Didn't want to look at them, huh? Maybe they shouldn't have told him their gender after all.
They took the offered pillow and-
"M-21."
-blinked. Was that...? They stayed silent, setting the pillow by their side.
"That's...my name," he said, lifting his head to look at them.
They huffed, chuckling. Ishibil. What his father had been about to say in the call. "Damn." They ran a hand over their hair. "I guess you're not the only one who has expectations. Okay," they said, nodding. "Do you want me to call you that?" That name would be one to draw attention.
He snorted, shaking his head. "Kang-dae's fine."
"All right." They put their console on the bedside and slid under the blankets. "See you in the morning."
"Yeah." Kang-dae's voice was faint. "Sleep well."
Was that something he used to say to Tao? Nakida couldn't dwell on it too much, already drifting to sleep.
Shit. M-21's heart was racing, his breathing barely kept in check. He couldn't believe he'd just given his name like that.
But it was - it wasn't Tao. It was Nakida. Who was agender. He had to make sure to remember that. Because sh - they weren't Tao. They were their own person. He'd been trying to tell himself that since the first time they'd met, but now it was easier to see, even if he could still see some echoes of Tao there. It just didn't mean he could treat he - them like they were Tao.
And then there was Huian, who had recognised him on sight and had Dark Spear active in her. Nakida wasn't the same - there hadn't been the same reaction when M-21 had carried he - them on his back. But it could still happen, something could trigger Dark Spear becoming active in them.
If Dark Spear had always been active in Huian, she wouldn't have been able to live for so long without bringing attention to herself. And what could have triggered her... M-21 sighed, slumping his shoulders, bracing his hands on Nakida's bed.
The Union would have done it. Or just being in a situation that was so similar to what Takeo had gone through before.
And Huian had to be Takeo's reincarnation, what with how Dark Spear hadn't tried to eat him (for whatever reason; Dark Spear recognised him as a comrade? That was...disconcerting. Unless Dark Spear was also carrying Takeo's feelings) and Huian's tattoo.
The Union could have given her it, but it was faded at the edges, some of the colour washed out; Huian had gotten the tattoo years ago. It could have been something she'd gotten at the training the Union had given her but it didn't seem like something the Union would do. The tattoo was different, more basic. The Union could have changed how they branded their experiments, but this didn't feel quite right.
He got to his feet, listening to the police chatter as he went to the bathroom. He could leave right now, go to the security building now that he had a better idea where the entrance was, but he couldn't and he knew it. Which was why he was rewetting the washcloth instead.
Huian could still be consumed by Dark Spear; she wasn't safe yet.
He wrung out the washcloth and went back to Huian's side. This time he put his fingertips to Huian's head first; she was hot, sweat beading there. Like he thought, Huian's brow creased at his touch, dark tendrils snaking out of her skin. They twisted around his fingers, tightening - then stopped.
It stayed like that for a few seconds, and while it was distracted, M-21 slid the washcloth on.
Dark Spear curled around it but didn't try tearing into it. Good.
That done, M-21 went to his bed, opening up his communicator again. It had been a while since he'd last looked through the album…
I'd really wanted to have Nakida give M-21 a black off-shoulder top, haha.
Whoops, so I forgot about M-21's tattoo in the previous part.