genessia | 1st Rise of the Phoenix ஜ Video

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1st Rise of the Phoenix ஜ Video

[When he wakes up, he still believes he's in Nautilus. The last he remembers is going to sleep with Leanne like usual, did something happen? Another storm? Something worse? He can't remember anything else but there must have been something since not only he wakes up in a place he doesn't recognize but he is also wearing his armour.

It's not until he finds the hologram that he understands what has happened, and those sensible to Cosmo, ki or similar energies will most likely feel a huge burst of energy as Ikki's Cosmo rages. To his credit he doesn't damage anything in the area. But it takes everything he has to not do so. Kidnapped again, this time more blatantly and without made up excuses about there having been a call. It was bad the first time, but this time is even worse. Apparently he's not allowed to continue fighting to save Athena and Seiya, nor he's allowed to have a family and a "normal" life.

He makes his way out, with his Phoenix Cloth on and carrying its Pandora box on his back. He doesn't bother to try to use his Cosmo to reach anyone for he doubts that whoever is responsible of this would be so kind as to let him reunite with anyone he knows and cares about. It's not until he reaches the beach that a thought occurs to him which leads him to strip down his armour and shirt, so he can check his right shoulder and confirm that the tattoo that Ace made for him is still there. A red spade (from the cards) surrounded by two flaming wings, one blue, the other orange, and with what seems like a white crescent moon crossing over it, the only thing he has, aside from his memories, to remember his time in Nautilus. It brings some relief to his heart, but it does nothing to calm his temper, so he goes on to strech his joints and muscles, giving anyone watching the video a nice show without realizing it. It's not the coliseum he's used to, but the beach seems like a good enough place to do some improvised training.

It should help to release his anger.]

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See, it would have bothered me still if she just hadn't considered it necessary, but to be told that she didn't want to be a bother when it ended causing her so much pain and then me having to be there and watch over her. She still had trouble at first being with Zoro and Ace after it.

[So basically she ended being far more of a bother than if she had called him in the first place.]

And then there was that time when some virus was spreading and making people sprout flowers and plants and eventually turned them into fucking trees. And I told her to leave to a city that was safe or back to her world, because back there we could do that, but she refused so I had to use my Cosmo to try to protect her from sprouting. And it still failed and she got sick despite it because she was all around infected people.

[Which, if it had been just Sanji or Zoro he could have understood, but it wasn't just them.]

... Wait, because of "how many times he has died"? Has... Has Ace died again while he was here or something?

[The distress is clear in Ikki's voice at that. What, didn't his brother have enough having died once that he had to die more times?]

Aye...

Relax, eh. If she turns into a tree, we'll sing her back. And no. He's just as hard to hold onto as a handful of flames. No matter how many times I find Ace, it seems like he's always a different spark, spread all out. Always Ace, always, yoi, but time and memories, what he remembers, what he doesn't, it gives even me a headache. Namur and I just take it for granted. He's less death-seeking than Thatch though, and that's saying something given his Wildfire tendency to want to burn free and then out.

Still, having someone nearly always with him wouldn't hurt. So long as he doesn't think it's because we don't trust him.

She won't turn into a tree, they found a cure anyway. And if it happens again this time I'll know how to do it better so that I don't fall into a coma and fail her.

[Don't get on his case for falling into a coma, Marco.

Ikki visibly relaxes when Marco says that Ace hasn't died again.]

I can understand that... And I trust him. I just don't trust the world around him.

[A pause.]

The Ace here, what is the last thing he remembers from your world? Is he...

[From before or from after his death? Ikki shakes his head, it doesn't really matter but...]

... I think I want to write him a letter, before meeting him, I mean.

You fell into a coma??

No idea. We could have Namur ask, but no one wants to bring that up if he doesn't. Especially since his younger kid brother isn't here.

A letter? Are we talking about the same Ace? He might punch you for that. As it is, he mostly yelled at Adela and the marine who remembered him, and anyone else, because he insisted they not act all weird and sound around him and just treat him like they would. Like you and me, yoi.

Huh, yes. I used my Cosmo to protect her, to slow her cells so the infection wouldn't spread, it's a difficult technique and requires a lot of focus and energy and I... I did it without having really prepared for it so I ended using my Cosmo beyond what the phoenix could regenerate and my body just... Shut down when it couldn't take it any more.

I'm fine now and more prepared so it's okay.

[He waves a hand dismissively. And he nods, he will try to not bring it up either, honestly he can understand the feeling. He himself doesn't want to tell Seiya just how badly he got hurt exactly.

As for the letter, Ikki laughs.]

Good, because that's what I want him to do. I will do it then, can you send private messages with those things?

[Slow nod.]

All right.

[SMALL GRIN AT THAT and nods.] You can. Aye.

[He might need to get popcorn to see that.] But I want to see it when it happens, so have him film it or ping me, eh.

[Ikki nods, already working on the smartphone to find how to send Ace a private text, fortunately it's not too complicated, specially since he already has experience from Nautilus. Once he's done, and he's done fairly quickly since he knew what he wanted to say, he shows it to Marco.]

I would make a bet on how long it's going to take him to come and punch me but I don't know how his schedule is here. Or even what time is it right now here.

[He smiles as Marco asks to see it when it happens.]

I'll make sure to film it if I can't ping you. Do you think it's punch-worthy enough?

That is some letter.

[LAUGHS AND SHAKES HIS HEAD.] I have no idea how he'll react.

If we're lucky, he'll assume correctly that you're with me, and come chalk it up to how phoenixes are. [More laughs and another headshake.] It should be... interesting, aye.

I guess I could have just gone and tackled him like you did with me, but... Now even if he ignores it, it will be forever written and existing. It's my revenge for not knowing me.

[Ikki shrugs.]

To be honest he is the only one for whom I would do that.

[He looks at Marco seriously and tilts his head.]

Maybe not the only one... But I think I would use something different with you, like calling your attention by speaking in phoenix.

That is fair and he will respect that. [Nod nod.]

[And laughs.] Oh Ikkun, you would never need to get my attention. You always have it.

Thatch won't remember you either, but it won't stop him from trying to adopt you right away, eh.

... Ikkun?

[No, he's not surprised by the nickname it's just... Somehow it sounds... Familiar. But he can't remember anyone calling him that way.]

Well, I don't really know or remember Thatch so I guess we're the same there. I know of him like I knew of you, a bit less because Ace mostly talked about you because we both are phoenixes.

Thatch and I called you that a lot. More him than me.

[Soft grin.] I'm glad he still remembered to talk about me. With how much he always talked to us about Luffy, I'd be a little sad if I never came up, eh? But odds are Ace remembered Thatch's death pretty keenly, so it would have hurt to remember too. The only reason I can find Thatch as much as I have, is being who I am. Thatch taught me how to be -- it sounds stupid to stay human, but with people, eh? Around them without needing to hide. Other than my Pops he truly had the biggest impact on my life.

Ah, and he speaks bird, so he was close to you and Leanne and Naesala as well. He also handled Ace's wild years even better than I did, because he understands people in a way I can't explain, eh? Like my Pops but... more in the thick of it, yoi.

It sounded familiar but I can't remember ever being called that way. Should have guessed it was from you.

[Though it bothers him, because it's not the first time he deals with sealed memories, really. And he thought that after having the seals removed twice he had gotten the trick to figure out when his mind had been tampered with... But this is totally different. There's nothing that would hint him at there being more, not until he met Marco and until he says certain things.]

... The world where we met, it was like this one, right? It took us from our worlds and threw us there... Did I ever mention what I was doing in my world before being there?

[Then again, probably Marco won't remember even if he did. Ikki shakes his head, it doesn't really matter either way.]

Hmm, he talked a lot about Luffy too but, definitively more about you. Again, I think it was because we are both phoenixes so he must have compared us a lot or something. Though he also said that I was a lot like him.

[Or had it been someone else? It had been an offhand comment either way.]

How come Thatch can speak bird? Is he a bird too or has some power like that?

A little, but more like my world than this one. Open seas, no barriers.

You said you were looking for a cure for Seiya -- Fuck! I completely forgot. [Punches his own forehead and grabs Ikki's shoulders.] Ikkun! Seiya is here too! But he remembers less than you told me of. But he looked well at least. He really did remind me of Ace. I thought Shun would, but... [Headshake.] It's unimportant. You should go to him. When you're ready, yoi.

Thatch is human, but patient and clever. He learned through doing. Because of me. Because he didn't want me to be alone. He learned, and I learned how to be human from him, and taught a few others what they could handle. Grell knows some too. And Toby was learning. And Roxas, in the Davy Jones' world.

So we were sailing around, a real pirate crew. Or as real as it could be over there.

[He talked about it with Ace once, it still sounds interesting and fun somehow.

A cure for Seiya... He still is, so... Is that why he can't remember? Why he can't really pinpoint something missing? His train of thought is broken when Marco grabs his shoulders.]

What? Seiya? Pegasus Seiya is here too?!

[That he would remember less doesn't surprise Ikki, there's no way Seiya is aware of what's going on at the present and he doesn't dare to imagine Seiya being from the future. That would be too kind, to show Ikki that everything would turn out alright and be fixed.

But Seiya being here... He wanted that, he had tried to will Seiya into Nautilus the most, wanting him to at least be somewhere, awake and fine, while they tried to stop the curse. But to hear that he's indeed around... He's not ready for that.]

I... I'm not sure going with him is a good idea.

[It has been so long and... He was so different before. And Marco explaining about Thatch only seems to point it more, Ikki frowns dejectely.]

I can speak it since I can remember, I would barely be able to speak with my mother yet I would understand the few things the birds around us would say. I don't remember having the chance to show her but after her death... I would talk to Shun both normally and in bird. I was sure that being my brother he would be able to speak it too and understand me.

But then he grew up and he didn't understand, he couldn't speak it. So I stopped doing it and never tried to teach anyone or tell anyone about it. Until I ended in Nautilus and met Leanne.

[Maybe Shun would have tried to learn if he had bothered to teach him, maybe any of the others would have but... It had been easier for Ikki to just close himself even back then. And after their trainings, after all the pain and anger grew and drowned him, closing himself even more was the only thing he could think of.]

Aye.

What?? Why not?

[Nods. He's not going to say Ikki told him that before, but he did.]

Because... The last time I saw him was years ago for me. And a lot of things have happened, but... Not there. They all happened in Nautilus and I changed, I know it.

[Ikki frowns.]

Back then when he was awake, I always kept myself away from them, I didn't want to mingle with them. I would fight alongside them when they needed me and vanish when it was over, even when Shun tried to beg me not to. I even hid my Cosmo so no one could track me down even if they tried. I loved them, they were my world but I never said it or showed it.

[He crosses his arms and shakes his head.]

That me would have never wrote that letter for Ace even if it was true. Nor would I be here talking with you like this even if I wanted to. So... I'm not the Ikki he knows.

And I'm not sure I want to be, not with everything I know and remember. But if I'm not the way he remembers, he probably will think that I'm a fake or something.

[Of course all this is Ikki mostly assuming that all his brothers just took everything he did and say at face value and conveniently forgot how he was when he was a child and they were together in the orphanage. Nevermind that it was Seiya the one who remembered it the most and who also pointed it out to him once when they fought because the pegasus refused to accept that Ikki had turned into some cold blooded monster that would kill them all.]

So what?

[Laughs softly, tugs him around the shoulders with a one-armed hug and gently nudges a fist to his chin.] When you love someone, you love the potential they have to become too. If you're a happier more well-adjusted Ikki, he'll just be happy for you. We can get food and drinks first if you want, but don't hide away from him long, phoenix. I spent 5 years away from Thatch and Namur, they were completely hidden in the same world as me. In that time, I dealt with Pops' funeral, met a version of Ace who was a marine, another version of Ace I couldn't hold onto, twice, got married, adopted another brother, and a son. It was a a lot to make them adjust to all at once, but they're my brothers, they're not so weak as to want to spend another minute away from me just because of my issues, eh?

And Thatch had it roughest to adjust. Twenty years we were together through everything. Suddenly I had a whole life outside of him. But he's my brother. He rose up, he's my first mate in the crew, and when I was lost in Ceres, he still looked after Grell and Namur for me. Don't avoid him long, eh? Not for him, not for you.

[So it's a lot more complicated. Or so Ikki wants to believe.]

But that's the thing, Marco. I told Seiya we were brothers, who our father was but... I don't know if he told the others and... It's Seiya. I'm not even sure he would remember that after everything. Or care about it. He had his older sister to search for and then the wars and battles...

Thatch and Namur were your brothers, they knew so and loved you. So of course they will accept it and adjust no matter how much you change and evolve. But we didn't have that relationship. I'm sure if I was Shiryu or Hyoga or Shun then it wouldn't matter, they had a strong friendship and love for each other, brotherly or not. But I wasn't part of it because I never wanted to be part of it, I didn't deserve it, not when I failed them all as the oldest brother.

[He sighs but nods anyway.]

I won't stay away from him, it's not in my nature to not be aware of how he is doing and what he is doing. Even back then. But... I will just be a comrade at most.

[And he looks at Marco.]

And that goes for you as well, don't go insisting him about he and me being brothers. If you want to adopt him as a brother that's fine but not through me, the last thing Seiya needs is to be confused or to have to deal with complicated things. He may remind you of Ace but he's far more of an idiot and simpler, try to explain him about other worlds or phoenixes and I'm sure his head will explode.

Besides, as far as I'm aware he doesn't even know that I resurrect after being killed, literally. The most he probably thinks is that I get heavily wounded and just heal very well.

[Is Ikki underestimating Seiya's awareness of things and knowledge and love by a lot? Hell, yes he is. But it's mostly because he can't wrap his head around the idea of Seiya and the others loving him and caring for him despite how he insisted to put distance, or that they may have respected the distance because they loved him and didn't want to press him, hoping that he would come around on his own. Not at all, that can't be it. To them Ikki's at most a comrade and that's all. And he doesn't deserve their love or friendship.

Did Marco forget how much Ikki loves to beat himself and think he doesn't deserve anything but shit and pain?]

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1st Rise of the Phoenix ஜ Video

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