openmisc | A colorful AU!

The world is gray. Always gray. He had thought once, as a little boy, that the emergence of color would be a wonderful thing. He used to dream that finding that person, that getting to see everything in brilliant Wizard Of Oz technicolor would be something he would always cover until it happened.

But after Ishwari, after the betrayal and the loss, after Ajay and Lakshmana left to America after Mohan's failed assassination attempt, Pagan just gave up on that dream. Love, he decided, was just for those who have given up on themselves. Not worth the trouble.

Yuma became the face of Kyrat after that and Pagan stepped back, letting her handle the death threats and the rebels and all of the bullshit that he just didn't want to deal with. Pagan ruled from the back, tempering Yuma's impulsive bullshit with a cooler head, though no less ruthless. However, the arrangement left him free to roam the world, taking care of his business in Hong Kong and the mainland unmolested. His father might not have had the desire to rule the Triads, but Pagan sure as fuck does. Even if it means he has to go and do things himself.

It's this reason, chasing spineless Hong Kong assholes, that lands him in Japan. He has a small security detail that walks the crowd, but otherwise Pagan is by himself as he walks the streets, checking his phone for his victim's last location.

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"Well, it would make things easier, wouldn't it?" he points out, hands in his pockets.

"That's not an answer," but he answers it with something almost like a smile. He shakes his head. "I don't care. I just wanted to know if I have to be careful around them."

"Always be careful around them. They have loyalty to my money, but that doesn't mean it lasts," he tells him, looking up at him with a smile of a laugh.

Kiryu nods. Understood, not that he really had any intention of doing anything different. Though that does bring them to the elevator again, and Kiryu will offer a tip to the bums that let them by this time.

"I don't know if I'm more or less complicated."

"Hm? In what way?"

He steps inside, leaning against the wall with his arms folded slightly.

"Technically, I have loyalty to our bond. Some people see that as a good thing. Others distrust it. But the way I've always seen it is that the bond exists as much because it should exist as any other reason."

He looks to Pagan as he presses the button.

"We don't work together because of the bond. The bond exists because we work together best. But its existence complicates things."

"It's a complicated thing," he agrees, though he's not sure what he wants it to mean just yet. "But - I'm not willing to let it go so easily. To dismiss it as some have."

"I'm glad about that."

And when the elevator opens up, it's to a wide open space with nothing but tatami on the floor. There's a section of the room that steps up to a small dais that has an old pillow-like seat on it and a few scrolls hanging from the walls. But at least the light turns on when he hits the switch.

"Here we are. Plenty of room and privacy."

Pagan looks around with a low whistle, blinking as the lights turn on. "Well, well, I don't know what I was expecting, but this is certainly not it."

He slips off his shoes, taking in everything with new eyes. New colors. It's still fascinating.

Kiryu's toeing off his own shoes as he pushes the door closed and locked behind them. Better not to be disturbed.

"Master Komaki's taken up all kinds of spots throughout the city. This was probably the best equipped one."

He takes a while longer to watch the colors, finally looking over his shoulder at him. For a moment, there's a flash of appreciation, of - something akin to gentleness.

"Fortunate for us."

He walks to the center of the room, unbuttoning his sleeves and pushing them up.

Kiryu's going to go one better. Specifically, his hand goes to the corner of his shoulder and curls around the fabric, pulling away to leave him barechested. Where the jacket goes is anyone's guess, but his side stance gives Pagan a lovely view of the coiling dragon rising up the length of his back.

And Pagan can't help but stare. For a thousand different reasons, he pauses, mostly taking in the colors. Some of them he hasn't even seen yet. He shakes his head, trying to focus, but Kiryu definitely has an unfair advantage now of Pagan being absolutely awestruck.

One he has absolutely no intention to utilize. Instead, he tilts his head as if to ask 'you all right?' before setting himself on his feet again.

Pagan nods once. They can talk about it later. For now, he'll reassure him and make the first hit. He's ot going easy on him. He's not holding back. And he doesn't expect Kiryu to do that, either. It would be an insult.

[ He'd better not.

That said, Pagan will get to feel his fist knock up against Kiryu like he's hitting a brick wall. And Kiryu? Is going to duck to one side and offer up a blow in return. ]

He manages to back away, his hand tingling in the best way, and blocks the blow of a goddamn freight train as gracefully as he can. He falls back, but instantly rushes forward again, aiming a hit at his side.

That one, he's going to move to dodge, and he'll return with a sliding kick, aiming to knock Pagan's feet out from under him.

He can't possibly dodge that and falls back, a little ungracefully and rather hard on his hand, but rises back up as quickly as he can and shakes it out.

And he looks up at the other man with a grin. "You're holding back."

"Warming up," he says with a quick shake of his head. That's when the blue flames of his spirit flicker out from his skin, looking almost like scales over him.

He cricks his neck once, then the other direction, then turns his hand to beckon Pagan.

"Blue," he mutters, grinning as he comes at him again. He knows it won't last - this moment won't last - so he goes after him with all he has.

Almost like a response to that comment, a few blows into the barrage, the blue bursts out and switches to a bright pink.

And that is when the punches start coming much faster.

He throws up his hands and blocks what he can, but it is quite fitting that pink is what he sees last. Pink is what he sees as flinches and falls backwards, onto his ass as a particularly nasty hit knocks everything out of him.

Pagan will wake up, his head cushioned on Kiryu's jacket while he enjoys a bottled drink. Another one, cold enough to help, is cradled against his jaw just in case. Kiryu's sitting beside him, in his dress shirt, clearly waiting for Pagan to wake up.

Pagan blinks awake, sitting up and putting a hand on the bottle to bring it to his face.

And, he's surprised to find, he's calm. Collected. Very quiet. And not just from exhaustion.

He does take the jacket and wrap it around his shoulders, over bruised skin and ripped fabric.

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lone_horse - 2022-07-25 03:29 (UTC) - Expand

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