[Closed]

[denyingpets]

Who: The Soujis and the Yousukes
Where: Sixth floor, room 100 (both sides of the mirror)
When: Not long after the Queen's announcement
Rating: PG-13 for the threat of shanking
Summary: Mirror Souji wants keys and he has a plan to get a couple.
The Story:
By the time the Queen's voice fades out of his ears, Souji's already making plans. Whatever's behind the doors, he wants to see it. The Queen's warning that it's a Bad Thing is like labeling a big, glowing red button "DO NOT PUSH" and expecting that to actually happen. There's no way he's not going through one of those doors.

But he's also not going to return empty-handed. He might not mind pain, but it's more beneficial to him to at least appear loyal (a subject he's still on the fence about, considering the lackluster performance of his current Queen so far). Whether or not she'll be so easily tricked is something he'll worry about later. Perhaps turning up with a key in hand and asking forgiveness will be enough to buy her mercy.

He needs a bit of help to carry this out and Yousuke--the one on his side--will do. Souji doubts that he jumped at the opportunity to cross over and be among so many people he's sure hate him, so he sends him a message to come to his room and waits. He doesn't expect to wait long.

Comments

[masukunduh]

No, the mirror was not happy about the event. But was he ever happy about any event that happened on their side? Or anything at all for that matter? Lately he'd been especially sulky for reasons he had no one to discuss with. And so he sat and stewed in his own mental muck for most of his time.

But even if he wasn't happy about it, if Souji called, he followed. He certainly didn't have to wait long at all. They had an understanding of sorts, and Yousuke thought that it was just for something like that.

He knocks at his door.

[denyingpets]

Souji calls Yousuke in and smiles at him, getting up from where he's sitting at his desk. He's got a copy of Gray's Anatomy open in front of him, but he was just passing the time with that. A little light reading.

"That was fast."

[masukunduh]

Yousuke huffs. He knows that really means 'you really don't have anything better to do, do you?' but brushes it aside. This guy couldn't live without making a retort to every little thing.

"Yeah, well... What do you want?"

[denyingpets]

"I'd like your help with something." Souji closes his book and crosses the room to Yousuke, glancing through one of the mirrors on the way.

[masukunduh]

He follows his glance to the mirror, and more or less gets and idea of what he might ask for. It were only the usual thing, he wouldn't be so coy about it.

"You want to get one of those keys?"

[denyingpets]

"I want to get two of them."

[masukunduh]

"What for? I didn't think you cared about the Queen."

[denyingpets]

"I care about myself." Souji smiles. "When I cross over, the real one will be here. I want you to get his key from him and pass it to me on that side."

[masukunduh]

"You think he'll give it up that easy? That guy is as strong as you are."

Probably stronger.

"And why do I need to pass it back to you? Just cross back over here and get it yourself."

[denyingpets]

"He'll give it to you."

Souji glances back at the mirror again and nods toward it.

"Because he's protective."

[masukunduh]

Yousuke thinks for a moment.

"So say something like, 'he'll let him go when he gets the key'?"

He snorts. Holding his real hostage like that... But the real Souji probably couldn't seriously attack himself either. Not with this face, and if he acted correctly. They'd never even met properly.

"If you want it to work, you'll really have to look like you'll follow through."

[denyingpets]

"I don't have to look like it."

He has no doubts that both of their real versions know he will. He eyes the mirror for a moment more before turning back to Yousuke, reaching to stroke his hair with light fingers.

"Will you help me?"

[masukunduh]

Always so sure. And Yousuke believed him. He never took a wrong turn.

But being touched makes him ache. He knew he wasn't the only one. It wasn't anything special. So he shrugs away...

He can't say no though. Leader. Even though you hurt him, in more ways than one, you understand, and that's something that simply can't be squandered.

"...Yeah. I will."

[eatsyourscience]

The shift from one side of the mirror to the other is jarring, like missing a step going up a flight of stairs in the dark. The room seems to spin for a minute so that Souji stumbles, his hand reaching for something, anything to steady himself on.

His hand finds the side of a glass tank and he instinctively pulls his weight back, not wanting to harm anything fragile. The tarantula on the other side of the glass rears back in surprise and then scuttles under a piece of wood to hide in safety. Souji watches it, then look around the room, at the pages of hand-done calligraphy tacked to the wall, each one perfectly level with the next. Above them, like a trophy--and he knows that's exactly what they are--are two dusty, fuzzy moth wings, too big to have belonged to any actual insect.

He thinks he probably should have guessed where he is without needing that much confirmation. With a slight frown, he looks around the room and spots its other occupant. They've met once before, but he wasn't well received that time; it makes him hesitate to speak first.

[masukunduh]

"I'd stay far away from that one. Poecilotheria. Bite hurts like a bitch."

Mirror Yousuke is sitting on the bed on the other side of the room, with that very-recognizable pose of legs and arms crossed, completely shut off. He doesn't look too pleased with this situation either. It wasn't so bad to deal with just one person, and it was preferable to crossing over to the other side as well, but...

This wasn't his Souji. Even now, someplace that he didn't want to be, he was far kinder.

[eatsyourscience]

"...Do you know from experience?"

Souji stays where he is, not wanting to intrude more than he already has on this Yousuke. He tries to keep himself from moving in any direction, his muscles taut with the knowledge that behind him, on the side of the glass he belonged on, his own Yousuke was with his Mirror, who was capable of far, far too much.

[masukunduh]

Yousuke shakes his head.

"He'd never let me touch that one. Too unpredictable. The Rose Hair, maybe."

Shrug. He knows where Souji meant to go with the question-- but it didn't work that way. Watching a spider bite a human wouldn't interest his Souji; the spider didn't even know what it was doing. He enjoyed the deliberate nature of the hunt, or his own practiced sadism.

[eatsyourscience]

That answer is a relief, but a small one. Souji takes a breath and goes straight to a more pressing question, though he knows this Yousuke is probably disinterested in the topic.

"What does he want?"

[masukunduh]

Of course he'd go straight to the point. Like he'd have any desire to be here. He'd want to go back to his Yousuke.

"The keys. The Queen wants them."

[eatsyourscience]

"...Do you know why?"

[masukunduh]

"No. We just know that they're important for some reason, and she'll be happy if she gets them."

[eatsyourscience]

Souji finally looks over at mirror, frowning. He can hear his Mirror and Yousuke on the other side, and though they haven't started fighting, he knows they will. He recognizes it in the tone of Yousuke's voice and the way he shifts his weight.

"He can have it."

Yousuke probably wouldn't approve of such an easy surrender, but Souji doesn't want to argue or fight with the Mirrors. He also doesn't want to know what might happen to the Yousuke in the room with him which his own Mirror comes back if he refuses.

[masukunduh]

"You're giving up that easily? Just like that?"

Yousuke snorts. Forget kind, this one had a bleeding heart. This is what love must really do to people-- make them act like idiots.

"You have no idea what these things do. For all you know they could make us stronger, or something worse, hell, there's always something worse. And you're still willing to take that chance? For what?"

[eatsyourscience]

Souji looks back at Yousuke.

"You already know."

[masukunduh]

He feels something odd, something in his chest jumping, when Souji looks at him head-on, and he recoils so slightly. And he knows what it is. He remembers it in the memories that weren't his to begin with. It was something he hasn't experienced since.

A sardonic smile spreads across his face.

"No. I don't."