video;

[fuckinstoplights]

[Hopefully no one is sick of these memories yet, because there's another one incoming. Live from Atop Kagerou's Phone Booth.]

[It's difficult to see where this is taking place. Everything is dark, shadowed, and indistinct. What can be seen is a lot of rubble... and a robot. Holding a sword. He's very bright purple in color, and honestly sticks out like a sore thumb. The viewpoint glances down, to where a girl is being held at what looks like knifepoint by large, robotic hands.]

What are you doing? Dating?

I knew you'd come, Shadowmaru.

[That voice, though the speaker remains unseen, is Kagerou's...]

Let the girl go. You haven't gone insane, have you?

[The girl all but bounces into view, raised abruptly in answer to the other robot's words. She's brought in nearer to the wicked-looking blade, wincing as she's moved. But the hand holding her doesn't so much as relax.]

Shadowmaru, what's the difference between my life and hers? Which is more precious?

[By contrast to the speaker's -- to Kagerou's -- apparent indifference to the human being in his hand, the other robot is nothing but calm, as he answers, smiling even:]

Hers. We can be rebuilt.

[The memory flickers into static, whatever conversation lost in the interim white noise and blurred images. Fractions of sentences flit through, images briefly appearing -- Shadowmaru holding a blade of his own, smile vanished -- ]

Kagerou, no one is trying to kill you --

-- It's death all the same!

[Their stances are shifted, they're tensed, they look on the verge of lunging at one another, girl in jeopardy or not. Her part appears to be forgotten. Neither one has taken their gaze off the other. Not once. The world has ceased to exist but for the two robots. Shadowmaru's words are lost in the haze, but Kagerou's retort breaks through, steady, pained, and bordering upon desperate.]

-- I'm nothing but your shadow. Memories are nothing but a collection of data. So that's the only evidence that I ever lived -- [He shifts nearer, leaning, almost, on the verge of movement and holding back because he knows if he takes a step, they'll come to blows.] -- If I lose my memories of you, I will lose my identity.

[The static claims the video feed. But, before it fully fades away, once more, there are words -- soft, easily missed amidst the fading details.]

Well then, live on to your heart's content...

[That's all there is. The memory ends. And the camera remains on, long enough to catch a good shot of Kagerou's horrified, human, face, from where he's still camped out atop the phone booth.]

[He just stares, wide-eyed and stunned, until his Keramon reaches over to shut off the device, mercifully.]

Comments

[bigsoftie]

[He sees it play out, those painful memories. He wonders what possibly could have transpired to make him do that...he didn't understand. He wish he did.]

Why?

[Why the human? Did she needed to be involved?]

[fuckinstoplights]

[He doesn't respond. Time ticks by, while he sits there, wondering who knew -- who could have possibly played that out for all to see.]

[It's not until his little hell muppet taps his hand that he's even knocked back to reality.]

Why... why what?

[bigsoftie]

[Impmon cranes his neck to see what's going on, but doesn't dare interrupt...seems really intense now.]

Why did you involve the human?

[fuckinstoplights]

[His shoulders twitch in a shrug.]

... She was there. That's all.

[bigsoftie]

You didn't know her?

[You threatened her and you didn't know her.]

[fuckinstoplights]

No. I... didn't know anyone...

[Except Shadowmaru, but that seems too obvious to point out.]

She was there. I needed to -- to keep the police away.

[bigsoftie]

But why did you need to keep them away?

[You seemed pretty alright, Kagerou, what happened, bro.]

[fuckinstoplights]

They wanted to kill me.

[Even the Keramon seems to droop at that, reaching out to lightly touch his arm, as if in reassurance.]

[bigsoftie]

[He rumbles.]

The fight for survival...it is not easy.

[Video]

[wheeljackofalltrades]

[This seems familiar. If only because his doppelganger did this same routine--the taking the human hostage situation, that is. His eyes are hard, and pretty fierce.

He's not exactly going to go deep into this.

Just state the facts.]

Well, anythin' to say?

[Video]

[fuckinstoplights]

[His head is bowed, his hands clenched into fists on his knees.]

What is there to say?

[Video]

[wheeljackofalltrades]

Just wonderin'. Not exactly somethin' we Autobots resort to.

[Maybe he was just in the heat of the moment.]

She cross ya in traffic?

[Video]

[fuckinstoplights]

Cross me... in traffic?

[He shrugs, shaking his head.]

She was there. Just... there.

[Video]

[wheeljackofalltrades]

So...a bargaining chip for the humans, I'm guessin'.

[Video]

[fuckinstoplights]

Hn.

Something like that.

[Video]

[wheeljackofalltrades]

Either way, doesn't look good on the feed, kid.

Ya don't seem like the type to make that kind of move, though. You musta been pretty desperate.

[Video]

[fuckinstoplights]

It wasn't ever meant to be on the feed.

... They wanted to kill me. I had no choice.

[video]

[digilight]

[I'm sorry Kagerou. The response is only...the face of a concerned little girl.]

[video]

[fuckinstoplights]

[He's hunched over his knees, kneeling on them, head bowed and fists clenched. His uncovered eye flicks up, then lowers again.]

... Did you wish to say something.

[video]

[digilight]

Are you okay?

[video]

[fuckinstoplights]

[His shoulders twitch in a shrug.]

I... am all right.

[That's a lie.]

[video]

[digilight]

If you're not, you don't have to say it. It's okay. I think you've been through a lot.

[video]

[fuckinstoplights]

... It was only a memory.

[But the words are flat, forced. He doesn't believe what he's saying. Just parroting words he thinks are expected.]

[video]

[digilight]

Memories mean something.

[video]

[fuckinstoplights]

Yes... they do.

They mean everything.