Ryusei Sakuta (
asteroidbelt) wrote in
rabbithatch2013-02-22 09:47 pm
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no spy music allowed in rabbi thatch | ryusei sakuta and kengo utahoshi
It was quiet when Ryusei walked into Rabbit Hatch. Good, there wasn't anyone in here. He made his way quickly to the control room and pulled out Meteor Switch; he needed to do this quickly before anyone came in. Tachibana's support was all very well and good, but Meteor's status was always either dictated to him or sent in a box. Nothing like the real-time updates Rabbit Hatch could do, and if Ryusei wanted to get a full picture of Meteor's capabilities, he needed to do a little sneaky diagnostic right now, right here.
Don't look down on me.
Tachibana couldn't ever again insinuate that Ryusei was at fault for weaknesses in battle. He had received Meteor Storm, but he didn't want to have to ask for another upgrade, even if he was confident that Tachibana would give it to him. He was grateful to Tachibana for doing so. But on the other hand, Tachibana had taken advantage of his situation—of Jirou's situation—to manipulate Ryusei. Oh yes, he remembered it, even if he was loathe to mention it to Tachibana. Just in case.
Quickly. He tapped his fingers on the table as Meteor Switch was scanned. After a harrowing moment, the results finally came up on the screen. Ryusei leaned forward.
Don't look down on me.
Tachibana couldn't ever again insinuate that Ryusei was at fault for weaknesses in battle. He had received Meteor Storm, but he didn't want to have to ask for another upgrade, even if he was confident that Tachibana would give it to him. He was grateful to Tachibana for doing so. But on the other hand, Tachibana had taken advantage of his situation—of Jirou's situation—to manipulate Ryusei. Oh yes, he remembered it, even if he was loathe to mention it to Tachibana. Just in case.
Quickly. He tapped his fingers on the table as Meteor Switch was scanned. After a harrowing moment, the results finally came up on the screen. Ryusei leaned forward.
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Time for something drastic. He called this his Kisaragi move. A move so idiotic and with so high a percentage of pissing off the one he was using it on that it was bound to work! Ugh, Kisaragi logic. He got up, went to the control room, grabbed Utahoshi's shoulders, and started pushing him out to the main room.
"You can take all the breaks you want," he said, after swallowing the bite he'd taken of onigiri. "We're not on a schedule, you know...."
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"S-Sakuta..." Taking that route of action seemed to be effective, though. When forced into a situation by someone he cared about, Kengo had a harder time talking himself out of it. It didn't even occur to him at the moment that he'd left his notebook in the control room, still open to the notes he'd been taking.
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"W-we get worried. About you." So embarrassing. It wasn't even his place to say; Kisaragi and Yuuki and sometimes the others had that covered. As far as Ryusei knew, Utahoshi wasn't hungry because he'd already eaten. But then, if he had, he would have said so. Everything Utahoshi had said indicated... Ryusei didn't know what it indicated, but what it didn't indicate wasn't that Utahoshi didn't want to eat. "So, I'm sorry," he said with an embarrassed air, letting go. "But... Kisaragi-kun would have wanted me to do it."
Well, he did call it his Kisaragi move.... Convenient an excuse as any, and maybe mentioning Kisaragi would abate Utahoshi's anger. Not that Utahoshi seemed angry.
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With this particular page, however, very little of what was written had to do with the Fourze system. There were notes about the circle module switches and Meteor's system -- Elek, Fire, and lesser things like Rocket and Chain Array. He had theorized that being able to use Elek only left Meteor compatible with that aspect of Fourze's system -- but could Fourze use Meteor, and how similar were the bases? It had to have some tie to his father, that system. He just didn't know how.
"I know..." Now Kengo looked even more embarrassed, tilting his head down and actually managing a smile with how awkward he felt. He still hadn't let go of the other just yet. "I'm sorry... for upsetting you earlier. I don't want you to have to work alone either." Apologizing was certainly not something Kengo did easily and it was obvious from the look on his face how uncomfortable he was. But the fact that he was putting the effort forward to say it meant a lot.
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His Kisaragi move had worked maybe a little too well, Ryusei thought uncomfortably as he pulled away. "I don't mind working alone," he said tentatively. "I-I wasn't upset."
Was that what Utahoshi had thought? Ryusei had left to get food. What indicators had there been that he had been upset? Not stuffing his hands in his pockets, surely.... He needed to be more careful. He didn't have an excuse for that behavior. For now, he'd let Utahoshi believe his mistake.
"Really, I wasn't." He turned away. Protest a little more, make it seem insincere. Was that enough? He couldn't tell. "I— It was just—
"Anyway!" he said after letting the pause sit until it became awkward. He turned around with a fake grin. "Let's eat! Here...." He picked up the variety set and handed it to Utahoshi.
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"You left pretty quickly earlier. I guess I'm just paranoid. ... it's really hard to figure people out. I'm still not used to it yet and I know I'm usually harsh and demanding towards everyone. I was worried I'd crossed a line with you." Kengo absently picked at the plastic, keeping his head down. "I don't really spend time with anyone in the club outside of being with the group as a whole."
Realizing that he was starting to open up a bit too much, Kengo shifted uncomfortably, fighting the urge to mutter an apology. Instead, he brought the food up to his mouth and took a careful bite, still seeming as though he was focusing on his own thoughts more than anything else.
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Even so, Ryusei was surprised at the admission that Utahoshi tried. Ryusei had always been under the impression that Utahoshi Did Things, and everyone followed. Utahoshi being the most competent person in the Club probably accounted for some of that, Ryusei thought with a sardonic smile he didn't show.
"What... line is that?" Ryusei had never made it seem as if he didn't want to be alone, had he? He'd wanted to join the Club, but he wouldn't have done anything about Zodiarts on his own, and anyway, Kisaragi had already befriended him (and had dragged Ryusei over to sit near him), so Ryusei wouldn't have been alone even if he'd wanted to. Was Utahoshi projecting his own feelings onto Ryusei? Impossible. Utahoshi not working alone was the reason he'd gotten angry at Ryusei and Kisaragi in the first place.
And... why did he think not eating would solve anything if Ryusei really had been mad? Wait, Ryusei was pretending that he was. Quickly, repair this. "I-it's not like I have a line or anything...." His nervous smile faded as he shiftily looked away.
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Kengo acknowledged the club and his ties to everyone, but it still felt... off. It was as though there was an invisible wall between him and other people where he couldn't quite understand them. Friendship and ties seemed to come so easily to Yuki and Gentarou... Why couldn't it be that easy for him? What was so hard to understand?
"Making you feel like I'm expecting you to pick up my slack, rather than having an equal standing. My condition shouldn't give me an excuse to do less work." It felt so very uncomfortable to talk about things like this, but every time he tried to stop, he felt as though he had to keep explaining himself. Sakuta had never made it difficult to like him, but with how closely they worked together, Kengo felt he needed to have a stronger relationship with him. It would make sense for them to trust each other as much as Gentarou and Kengo trusted each other.
His reason for wanting to avoid coming into the middle room was purely to avoid further issues. Kengo was aware that his attitude when it came to being hurt by anything was to lash out at others and draw away from them.
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Not an easy task, if Utahoshi was going to be this stubborn about it. Maybe it would be easier to just tell Kisaragi what was going on and let Kisaragi handle it, but even thinking of this option made Ryusei feel childish. To being with, it wasn't like Ryusei was Utahoshi's babysitter. If Utahoshi didn't want to relax and take care of himself, then it wasn't any of Ryusei's business.
It was just— If Utahoshi had to someday go to the hospital because his condition worsened due to overwork, Ryusei was going to have to make an excuse not to see him. With the way Kisaragi went on and on about being friends, Ryusei didn't think he could manage it. Preventing more Jirous.... Preventing more Jirous didn't only mean using Meteor.
And to complicate things further, Ryusei was supposed to be upset about this. What a mess. "I know this is your father's work," he began tentatively. "I understand if you want to spend more time with it. But if it has to be a trade-off... Instead of you spending more time, we could lessen the time I spend...."
He trailed off awkwardly. He didn't know how Utahoshi would take that suggestion. To be truthful, Ryusei didn't like it, himself. Both Fourze and Meteor should be improving as fast as possible. But the cost— Some costs were too high.
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It wasn't that Gentarou wasn't kind, but his forceful personality had rubbed Kengo the wrong way from their first encounter. Ryusei was really the complete opposite, or at least it seemed that way most of the time. At least the other was getting better about coming out of his shell. Kengo could relate to that...
Kengo put his elbows on the table as he took another bite of his onigiri, seeming a bit more content now that he was eating. "Anyway, I think it should be done soon at this rate. There isn't much left to do."
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On the other hand, it didn't matter that much. Utahoshi was right in that there weren't many Switches left. If they could make it this far, there was no reason they couldn't finish. Utahoshi did all the supervising, in any case. He'd probably push himself even if, theoretically, I stopped working altogether.
There was nothing he could do beyond remove himself as a competing factor, and talking about this was starting to become awkward, so he let the conversation die.
Speaking of competing factors.... He folded his hands on the table after a moment. "Utahoshi-kun... may I ask what was in that notebook?"
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Well, there was no way to say it was nothing at this point. His reaction had been enough to keep that from being brushed aside. Kengo set the rest of his food down, still picking at the plastic with his nails. It was understandable with his position and knowledge that he would want to research other systems similar to Fourze's own, didn't it? So he didn't know why it had to be such a secret other than the fact that Meteor... well. Meteor was not their ally.
"It's nothing I can do anything about, but I've been writing theories about the Meteor system." More picking at the plastic wrapper. "It seems pointless to spend time thinking about a system that isn't mine-- ours." He didn't want to seem selfish over the Fourze system, so the last bit had been fumbled over in his attempt to save face.
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From the glance Ryusei had taken of the notebook, it hadn't contained anything dangerous, but Ryusei had only seen one page. On top of that, the timing was suspicious: Utahoshi had been working on that page after Ryusei had been trying to use Rabbit Hatch's equipment to analyze his Meteor Switch? Ryusei hadn't left anything incriminating on the system, had he? He'd had an hour to straighten everything out, and he'd been working on calibrating a Fourze Switch; anything Utahoshi would have seen—either while looking over Ryusei's work or moving on to a new Switch—had already been scoured by Ryusei.
It must be a coincidence, right? But Utahoshi's reaction, both when Ryusei had stepped back into Rabbit Hatch, and just now when Ryusei brought it up, was too suspicious not to investigate. "How... often do you work on it?"
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Sometimes, it just happened to relate to the Meteor system. Or at least his theories about it. "It's part of the system my father developed. I want to know where it came from and how it's different. Fourze was left here when I discovered the Hatch... I don't know where Meteor came from." Was it a system his father had worked on as well? Had it been stolen from him? Or developed from research his father had done? "... if I can find out more about Meteor, then maybe I can figure out something I don't know about Fourze's capabilities."
Aside from that, part of him wanted to help Meteor so the other could aid in their fight, but Meteor didn't show any signs of wanting allies. There was also a very strange suspicion he'd had about the other.
"I wonder what he's fighting for. If it's for the same reason I am."
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. . . "What's the reason that you fight?"
It may be true that Utahoshi might be able to improve Fourze's capabilities or functionality by looking at Meteor System, but Tachibana obviously didn't want anyone looking at Meteor. Why else would he mandate that Ryusei not reveal himself? It would be suspicious if Ryusei didn't already know that Tachibana wanted to keep his own identity a secret from his and the Club's common enemy. As Tachibana's agent, Ryusei should do something about Utahoshi's notes, but Ryusei was curious enough himself that he couldn't bring himself to want to.
Maybe he'd ask to see the notes once Utahoshi trusted him more. —Maybe in the future when Utahoshi trusted him more, Ryusei corrected with a frown. There shouldn't be a problem with that; ingratiating himself with Kamen Rider Club was what he was here for. They already trusted him.
What was Ryusei thinking? He'd gotten a little confused. The Club did already trust him. Going any further was needless. Prying, especially, was needless. He'd feel like he was taking advantage if he asked to see the notes. Which he was, already, just by being here. But— "You don't seem upset that I saw," he said in a rush. "Wasn't it a secret?"
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Tilting his head to the side, Kengo dropped his hands to the table once more. "I'm protecting people because my father couldn't. Fighting for people who can't fight. ... though I guess now people are fighting for me because I can't." That particular comment still made him upset. It was nice that he had met Gentarou and Ryusei and everyone else, but there were times when it truly bothered him that he couldn't be the one wearing the suit, fighting for his father's sake. More and more often, however, it was becoming easier to deal with. Friends made the burden lighter.
When Ryusei asked his second question, Kengo waved one hand a bit. "I didn't see the point in talking about it. Something like that isn't important, so don't worry. We'll only need to think about it if Meteor decides to put up with us." He picked his food back up. "I just want to know if he knew my father or what his connection to him is."
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Well, that was one way of finding out that Utahoshi didn't suspect Ryusei. "What makes you think he knew your father?"
Tachibana was.... Ryusei didn't know anything about Tachibana. He didn't know anything about Utahoshi the senior, either, so it was a possibility, but coming to a conclusion based on the lack of information was such a negligent idea that Ryusei put it out of his mind almost immediately.
There was a more reasonable explanation, in any case. Utahoshi didn't know anything about Meteor. If Fourze and Meteor were as similar as Utahoshi claimed, then it was only natural to connect them, and the both of them to Utahoshi the senior.
Unfortunately, it put Meteor under an amount of scrutiny that Ryusei didn't like. Not that Ryusei doubted his own ability to keep his secret. But he couldn't refute Utahoshi's suspicions or risk moving the scrutiny on himself, for knowing so much. Even though he wanted to, Ryusei didn't add a comment to his questions about Meteor's possible motivations.
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And whatever Meteor's goal was... It certainly wasn't helping out the club. No, Meteor had something he was selfishly fighting for, or at least that he was good at keeping to himself. The other Rider hadn't hesitated to attack anyone who got in his way. At the very least, he'd never actively tried to kill any members of the KRC, which convinced Kengo that Meteor wasn't openly hostile -- just very determined.
"It's really nothing to worry about." Kengo picked at the rest of his onigiri, tearing off a small piece to put it in his mouth. "It's a scientist mindset, I guess. Planning for any potential research opportunities and any possible outcome."
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He finished the onigiri, then another. He should draw out this break as long as possible, he knew, to keep Utahoshi from feeling competitive. But the Meteor conversation had made him nervous. It was starting to show; the tension was starting to build in his body from having to keep still. His heel was starting to tap on the ground, a jittery staccato rhythm.
He needed to either get out of here, or distract Utahoshi—prevent him from wondering why Ryusei was acting like this. Ideally, he should do both at once. What would occupy Utahoshi's attention? Work. Ugh. Well, what else? He didn't know. He still didn't know that much about Utahoshi. Was now really the time to fix that?
Frowning, Ryusei fiddled a moment with the plastic on the table. This would be easier if Kisaragi were here. "What's Kisaragi-kun and the others doing?" he asked after another moment. "Are they coming in today?"
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Kengo's nervousness seemed to mirror Ryusei's, as he kept his head down and finished his first onigiri, starting to work on his second one. With anyone, he usually tended to go bury himself in work and generally not pay attention to them, but Ryusei had forced him out here and... well. That had to mean that Ryusei wasn't upset with him, right? Even though Kengo felt as though he'd said something wrong.
When Ryusei spoke again, Kengo paused in eating, lifting his gaze before immediately lowering it again. "Kisaragi wanted to drag everyone to something. I told him I wasn't feeling well. ... though I would have expected him to come back by now." He sighed. It was just like Kisaragi to lose track of everything else.
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He glanced up at Utahoshi through his hair, observed him for a moment. Did it seem as if...? "Utahoshi-kun? Are you nervous about something?"
Bored, maybe? Was it that much of a sacrifice to sit here with Ryusei? But... he was still here. It couldn't have been that much of a sacrifice. Or maybe Ryusei just wanted to believe that.
"... It isn't Switch-related, is it?"
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When asked about being nervous, Kengo paused for a moment with his food still in his mouth. Finishing his current bite, he chewed his food and swallowed it, hoping that he could figure out what to say before he finished. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. ... was he really being nervous?
"I'm still not used to talking to you, I guess." As an afterthought, Kengo added after a few moments of silence, "I'm not usually like this around anyone else." It was true, wasn't it? Gentarou was so forceful that he never had time to be nervous. Yuki was essentially his little sister. ... the rest of the club members were treated as if they were any other person he knew, just less coldly. With Sakuta... What made him different from the others?
Thinking that far had pinged Kengo with the sudden realization of why he was acting so strange. This interaction was the first time he had ever actively tried to be friends with someone. It was no wonder his actions felt so strange and foreign.
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Ryusei shoved another bite into his mouth. It didn't lessen his confusion any, but it made sure he couldn't blurt out anything stupid.
What could he say to the revelation that Utahoshi struggled to talk to Ryusei? That wasn't the kind of thing a person said so casually. "It's... I'm...."
That's right, Utahoshi thought Ryusei was upset. That probably accounted for it. They needed to make this relationship work if they were going to work on the Switches together. If nothing else, Kisaragi would bug them until they acted warmer to each other regardless of what they actually felt. It all came down to Kisaragi, didn't it? "It's... okay. Just— Just be honest. I-I guess."
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There was a small smile on Kengo's face as he reached across the table and gave the top of Ryusei's arm a quick pat. "Sakuta. ... I'm sorry for the way I act sometimes. Everything you've done for me..." He shifted uncomfortably, turning his head away. "Helping with switches and Fourze's development, bringing me this... It means a lot to me." ... why had he never told Gentarou something like this? Kengo couldn't really explain it.
Feeling awkward enough already, Kengo dug in his school bag and pulled out a bottle of water, standing up and already starting to head back into the control room even though he wasn't done with his food.
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He picked up the set and followed, putting it on the table next to the keyboard. "J-just in case you...."
Why did that come out so awkward? He turned away and returned to the main room. What was this reaction? Must be the nervousness. He needed to— "I'll be right back," he said quickly, striding to the door that led to the storage room.
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