Chapter Text
After he killed Tony, he let himself disappear. He drifted into the background until he escaped the mansion and then he ran.
He ran until his legs burned. Then he ran until his lungs hurt. Then he kept pushing until he could taste blood and still refused to stop.
When Kenta finally collapsed, he looked at where he was. A cliff a few miles from Tony’s mansion. He had been here so many previous times, searching for something he had never found. Comfort.
He looked down at the rocks below and took a deep breath. Everything was ruined already, everyone was so upset. What was a little more? They wouldn’t miss him, well, maybe Pete would be a little sad, but it would be worth it. He didn’t need to stay and be a reminder of what had happened. Of what he had done.
Kenta took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He savored the wind on his face and how the sunrise warmed his skin. Then he let himself tip forward.
_____
Kenta shot up in his bed, blanket falling to his waist as he gasped for air. He clawed at his throat as he began to choke. Tears ran down his face from coughing but also from panic.
When he took in his surroundings, nothing was familiar. He wasn’t in his room at Tony’s mansion. He wasn’t in a cell, either. Where the hell was he?
He climbed from the bed and left the room, trying to find anything familiar. When he heard noise coming from the first floor, he followed it. What he didn’t expect to see was Jeff standing at the stove trying to make food.
“Hey, Phi! Just practicing, you can go back to sleep.” Jeff said with an oddly wide grin. He was always so serious, why was he smiling now?
“I, um. Where am I?” Kenta asked, unable to form another thought. Jeff’s smile fell and he turned off the heat on the burner he was using.
“Did you have another nightmare, Phi? You’re at your house, and I’m Plawan, remember? It was only a nightmare and now you’re home.” Jeff, no, Plawan, approached Kenta slowly but the frightened man stepped back.
“This isn’t right. What’s going on? Is this some sort of trick?” Kenta began to hyperventilate and his entire body quaked.
“Woah, hold on JJ, it’s okay. Let me turn on some more lights, okay?” Plawan turned and quickly began flicking light switches to brighten up the first floor. Kenta looked around and still recognized nothing.
“Better? Are you remembering now?” Plawan came back and carefully watched his friend, worried that it was taking this long for him to sort himself out.
“No. I, I don’t remember anything. I just remember jumping and then I was here. I don’t understand.” Kenta began to cry and he crumpled to the floor. All Plawan could do was watch on in fear.
“Something’s not right. I’m going to call your doctor, okay? Just stay there, please.” Plawan left the room and Kenta stayed frozen on the ground.
“No, he’s not coming out of it with the usual tools. What should I do?” Plawan spoke in another room, still not quiet enough to avoid Kenta’s ears.
“Okay. I can do that. Phi?” Plawan walked back into the room and sat on the floor a little way away from Kenta.
“Phi, do you know who you are right now? What’s your name?” Plawan kept the cellphone pressed to his ear and his eyes glued to his friend.
“Kenta.” The other man managed to murmur, his eyes fogging over as memories started to pour through his mind.
“He says his name is Kenta. Uh huh, okay. Kenta, do you remember anything from before? You said you jumped.” Plawan was trying not to shake, he was beyond terrified.
“I remember a lot. From before. It’s very bad and I don’t want to tell you.” Kenta was shutting down, he could feel the fog settling over his mind.
“Doc, he’s starting to act even more weird. Like he’s in some sort of trance.” Plawan leaned back a bit, afraid that his friend would start up one of his fighting episodes.
Then Kenta grabbed his head. A sharp pain shot through it and he couldn’t help the whimper that escaped his lips. Who are you? Give me my body back. Move. It’s mine!
“Something’s happening, he’s crying and grabbing his head. Do I need to call an ambulance?” Plawan’s voice carried so much fear but the doctor told him to hang on and give JJ a few seconds.
“ Stay on the phone with me, Plawan. I’m going to head over.” The doctor said, his voice calm and steady. Plawan forced himself to take a deep breath before saying in a small voice ‘ please hurry’.
“What do you mean? Please, stop, you’re hurting me.” Kenta pleaded, still holding his head. It felt like someone was trying to pry his eyes out, stabbing a white-hot metal spike through his brain.
Give it back! It’s not yours! Who do you think you are? Get out!
Kenta layed down, panting as he tried to not throw up from the pain. He felt tears fall from his eyes and his muscles spasmed and twitched against his will. He tried to open his eyes but cried out as the pain worsened.
“The doctor is on his way, Phi. Try to breathe. I’m here,” Plawan clutched the phone to his ear, “He’s only a couple minutes away. Take deep breaths.” Plawan tried to guide Kenta from the corner he had pressed himself into, trying to stay out of the other man’s way.
“ Please, it hurts so bad. My eyes.” Kenta shoved the heels of his palms into his eyeballs, trying to relieve the pressure.
“He said it’s his eyes that hurt. He’s also been holding his temple. Yeah, I’ll go unlock it.” Plawan quickly got up and ran to the front door, undoing the chain and deadbolt, he then ran back to the kitchen to go back to sitting in his corner.
It was only two minutes later before the front door opened and a calm man with black hair stepped inside.
“Doc, he’s over here. The pain seems to be going away but he won’t move.” Plawan called from where he sat. The doctor walked in and took in the scene.
Kenta was curled up on his side on the floor with his arms wrapped around his head. He was muttering to himself and shaking.
“Hey, JJ. It’s your doctor, Pete. You remember me, yeah?” Kenta lifted his head, slightly opening one eye to look at the man in front of him.
“Pete? You’re here, too? Did you jump, too?” Kenta felt his heart leap at the familiar name of his adoptive brother.
“No, JJ. I didn’t jump. I’m your doctor, remember? I need you to try to sit up for me.” Pete sat on the floor as well and watched as Kenta tried to drag himself into a sitting position, dizziness making him sway.
“Please, I don’t know where I am. I remember jumping and then it was all dark. Then I woke up here. I’m losing things though, I could remember a lot more when I first woke up but now, now it’s getting really foggy. Please, I’m not lying.” Kenta wiped at his face, trying to brush away the tears.
“I don’t think you’re lying. You’re telling me your experience. Now, Plawan said your name is Kenta. Is that correct?” Pete watched as Kenta took a deep breath and nodded.
“I’m Kenta. I’m not from here. There’s this voice in my head saying I stole this body. Am I going insane? ” Kenta reached up and gripped his hair, trying to use the pain to push away the panic.
“No, you’re not insane. Something is happening to you and I intend to figure out exactly what it is. Do you know anything else about yourself, Kenta?” Pete very patiently waited as Kenta tried to dig through his mind for any information that wasn’t covered by a haze.
“I’m twenty-six. I like noodles. My favorite color is green.” Kenta searched his mind. He was losing so much. Where was it all going?
“Okay, well done. You said you were able to remember more when you first woke up, what’s it like now? I know you said foggy, but what else does it feel like?” Pete continued to talk gently, trying to be a calm presence compared to Plawan who still sat with wide, scared eyes in his corner.
“It all had a mist settle over it. I can vaguely see people and such but it’s all just blobs and shapes.” Kenta pressed his fingers into his temples as a headache began to surface.
“Hmm, I see. And the voice, is it a person you recognize?” Pete asked.
“It’s me. Or, well, it sounds like me. It’s very angry that I’m here. Says I’m stealing their body, to get out, that they don’t know who I am, either.” Kenta kept rubbing his head to soothe the ache.
“Plawan, can you go upstairs, please? I have a couple of other questions for our new friend here but they’ll be a bit private.” Pete smiled gently at the younger man and Plawan slowly stood.
“Not a problem. If you need me you’ll know where to find me. I’ll be just upstairs, okay? Don’t worry.” Plawan said the last bits to Kenta, fighting the urge to pat him on the shoulder as he walked by. Once Plawan was upstairs, Pete faced Kenta again.
“Kenta, be honest with me. Where do you think you came from?” Pete’s eyes were stern, leaving no room for non-answers. Kenta couldn’t help how he flinched.
“Tony’s mansion. I jumped from a cliff a few miles away.” Kenta murmured. He was terrified. Was he going to be locked up? Put on so many drugs he wouldn’t be able to form a single thought? Was this a trap?
“Okay, and you said when you jumped you woke up here. You’re fighting for space with JJ, aren’t you?” Pete watched as Kenta flinched again and grabbed his head.
Yes! I’m here! Get this guy out! What the hell is going on?
“He said yes, it’s him. That he wants me out and to know what’s going on.” Kenta felt the pressure in his head let up a bit as he spoke for JJ.
“Kenta, look at me,” Kenta managed to look up and met the gaze that studied him, “it’s Pete. Your Pete. I woke up the same way three days ago. After everything at Tony’s, a guard we missed shot me in broad daylight. I died on the sidewalk and then I was here, in this body, the Pete in my head trying to get out. Then he just, went quiet.” Pete watched as Kenta processed what he had said and then the frightened man’s face crumpled.
“You’re not lying to me? You’re really Pete? You’re my brother?”
“Yeah, Ken. It’s me.” Pete was knocked to the floor by Kenta. He was wrapped tightly in his brother’s hug as Kenta sobbed into his shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never wanted to do any of it. Please, don’t leave me, I’m so scared.” Kenta begged and sobbed as he dug his fingers further into Pete’s shoulders, hoping that if he held on tight enough that he wouldn’t lose him.
“I know, Ken. I know. Tony was evil and made all of us do things we never wanted to do. I know.” Pete petted the back of Kenta’s head, letting the other man find relief in his embrace as he continued to cry.
Plawan stood silently, hidden on the staircase with his mouth wide open and his mind racing.
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