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firstlightJust finsihed this part. Not checked through very thoroughly; I may revise it sooner or later, depending on general consensus/Syl's comments when she checks it over. Happy Christmas, have some UST.
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
giving_ground
Title: Gentleman and Trickster (Part 6 of 8)
Theme and Number: 7 - Just Like Magic! or Wizardry
Genres: Cyberpunk
Warnings/Disclaimers: Not mine. AU, obviously. Second half has not been even slightly beta'd, becausedystopiarcadia is on holiday.
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: NiouxYagyuu (and a small dose of YanagixKirihara. if you want it to be.)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Welcome to the streets of Tokyo, in the not-so-distant future. Meet Niou and Yagyuu, a slightly unlikely pair, running errands for whoever will pay. Cyberpunk AU.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5
Yagyuu had expected a little more time before they came to blows, although if Ohtori was here because he was working for the corp then the actual fight was inevitable. He had not expected Ohtori to launch his avatar straight into an offensive configuration, but from the way he was moving through the unreal space of VR he couldn’t have much running other than attack programmes. Pulling up layers of defence, as fast as he could, Yagyuu barely managed to avoid the first assault, concealing his avatar’s location for long enough that Ohtori lost his lock and had to start again. It had been extremely close, but he could blame that on his injured arm. When it came to virtual combat, fractions of seconds made a difference, and his injury was more than enough to slow him noticeably in the high-speed system of cyberspace.
A few more passes, a few more evasions, one attempt at his own offensive, and it was becoming obvious that what Ohtori had going for him was the speed of his attacks. He must be able to manipulate programmes frighteningly fast, but at the same time, his technique wasn’t actually that good. The speed made it effective, unless you were good at evasion, and also made it harder to find openings for attacks of your own, but he couldn’t hold a lock too well; Yagyuu figured corps and hackers everywhere should fear the day he got that problem fixed. His frustration at Yagyuu’s constant evasion was beginning to show, however, even in VR where people’s emotions were so hard to discern most of the time. Yagyuu, for his part, was becoming aware that back in reality, his arm was hurting. A little too much strain after the events of the previous day, he supposed.
What is your purpose here, Ohtori? Yanagi sent, suddenly; he must have managed to free his attention from tearing apart the corp’s encryption for a moment.
That is not your concern, Ohtori shot back, but his avatar was slamming up line after line of defences as he apparently realised who he was facing. Yagyuu was infamous but Yanagi was legendary, and not to be taken lightly. Ohtori would be weighing up his options carefully at this stage.
That’s an odd thing to say, if he’s working for the corp. And he hasn’t called in backup, either... has he?
It took Yagyuu a moment to realise that Niou had sent that message, and that it had only been sent to him. Of course, that was about all Niou could do as a passenger, but what surprised Yagyuu was that he hadn’t even noticed Niou linking in. It must have occurred during the fight, when his attention had been fairly thoroughly taken up with other things. It was probably just as well he couldn’t see Niou’s face, or hear his tone of voice; he was unlikely to be pleased, right now.
Yagyuu, Niou sent again, he’s not here on their business. He thinks you two are, though.
Ah. Yes. Sometimes, Niou’s brain worked altogether too fast. If he’d come to that conclusion, though, Yagyuu trusted his judgement; in professional matters, Niou could be relied upon. Usually.
We’re not part of the security, he sent to Ohtori, and I don’t believe you are either, which renders this all rather pointless. What is your purpose here?
There was a definite pause, at that. Ohtori’s avatar made a sign of submission, non-aggression. After a second which seemed to stretch out for entirely too long, Yanagi’s did the same. The fight was over, for the moment.
Information, Ohtori admitted. Yagyuu could practically feel Niou’s self-satisfied smirk. But we were sure you were a part of it, after the incident in the facility.
Yagyuu considered these words. Niou was certainly doing the same, at several times the speed, but Yanagi’s attention was probably still half diverted towards the encryption.
Something about Ohtori’s turn of phrase made him think there was a considerable amount going on that they still weren’t aware of. What were they meant to have been a part of?
Wait a minute, he got from Niou, I need to check on something.
What do you mean? Yagyuu sent back; but Niou’s link was already dead.
* * * * *
Niou disconnected, reached for his phone -- less private than a mental link, but it didn’t require as much effort to set up, and you only had to know a number to reach someone. Besides, the link headware wasn’t precisely legit without pretty heavy regulation, so not everyone had it fitted. He didn’t have the kind of extensive web of contacts some runners like Yanagi had, but he was pretty sure he could get hold of someone who’d be able to tell him what he wanted to know. It was just a confirmation of suspicions, really.
Four calls later, and he’d heard everything he needed. It was no wonder Ohtori was on edge; from the sound of things, Hyoutei was practically at war right now, and didn’t even know who it was fighting. Kirihara was watching him curiously from a corner, but the younger man hadn’t said anything to him since he’d gone to connect to VR. He was glad rikkai’s little demon seemed to be feeling fairly level-headed today despite his earlier baiting; a dose of Kirihara’s temper wouldn’t be helpful, at this stage. Apparently, though, Yanagi was doing some good -- even if he couldn’t exert nearly the level of control that Yukimura once had. Kirihara would be ok for a little while yet.
For now, he should see how things were unfolding in VR, and give Yagyuu an update on the situation. It seemed unlikely that Ohtori would have told them much while he was gone, all things considered.
This situation seemed to consist of complication upon complication. Niou didn’t like it, though it was undeniably more interesting than the average job.
Back in the artificial space of VR, things still seemed relatively calm. Yanagi and Ohtori looked to be engaged in some manner of negotiation.
What did I miss? he asked Yagyuu.
Not much. But you were right. Don’t cut off like that.
Niou laughed a little, privately. You know you love me.
Perhaps, Yagyuu sent back, but that’s beside the point.
It wasn’t often, Niou reflected briefly, that he was at such a complete loss for words. It took him rather too long to remember that he was going to tell Yagyuu.
By the way, he managed eventually, I don’t know if Ohtori told you, but Hyoutei is pretty fucked right now.
Eloquent, Niou, the reply came. Would you care to elaborate, or are you going to sit there feeling smug about your investigation skills all night?
Yagyuu, apparently, wasn’t feeling terribly patient, although Niou could forgive him that much.
I don’t know much, he admitted, but Hyoutei is under attack as a unit. It’s more or less a war, but they don’t know who they’re fighting against; they assumed we were at least a part of it, though. Ohtori will be here to try and find out more or less the same sorts of things we want to know. Maybe Yanagi should work with him on that, and you should get the hell out of VR and try working out what the chipset we stole actually is?
There was some more discussion, but Niou’s sense of smugness (momentarily shaken by Yagyuu’s actually quite unexpected comment) was reinforced as events began to take the shape he had suggested. Before long, Yanagi and Ohtori had set to work together, although Ohtori seemed less than pleased with the situation; and Niou and Yagyuu were back in reality. Yagyuu was looking faintly tired, which seemed a little unfair to Niou, given that he was the only one who’d had any rest lately.
“This would be so much easier,” Yagyuu was murmuring, a faint frown spreading across his face, “if I had access to my entire workshop, not just what we could carry easily. I’ll take a look at what Yanagi has.”
Kirihara shot Niou a despairing look behind Yagyuu’s back as the neat man moved through the flat, checking equipment and assembling tools.
“Just talk to him, you bastard, before your sexual tension kills me,” he muttered, when Yagyuu left the room for a moment. Niou ignored him, pointedly.
They didn’t have time for that, right now. Emotions always had to be secondary.
He watched Yagyuu work, without knowing precisely what his partner was doing. It was obviously delicate work, and time-consuming, the sort of thing Niou would never have had the patience to learn. He’d performed a careful inspection of the hardware, then started working on it with other machines, painstakingly carefully and slowly. Yagyuu, whose patience was not infinite, whatever some people might believe, began to look somewhat harassed after the first few hours. Kirihara was beginning to edge slowly away from sanity in the next room, with no-one paying him any attention. Yanagi had surfaced briefly, a couple of times, to get a drink or throw a comment to Yagyuu which might as well have been in another language; and Niou was... waiting, with more restraint than he’d thought he’d possessed. He’d played his part for the moment. Now, it was Yagyuu’s turn, and a chance for the reserved man to mend his pride after getting himself shot as the Trickster.
* * * * *
Yagyuu wasn’t sure if Niou had been aware of how much his arm was hurting from trying to keep up combat speed in VR, but regardless, he was glad when he was offered an honourable way out. This work was easier for him, and more satisfying, although he had to work a little slower than usual -- it didn’t matter if his reaction times were down a half-second, a second.
A few hours, and he had its basic structure down, had figured out what he’d need to do to read it, although it was going to take a good part of the night to rig together a set-up which could cope with the task, and he might have to get in a few extra parts. Once that was done, he’d be able to worry about encryption, or strange software he’d never heard of, or anything else a corporate research facility could throw at him, which was probably quite a lot. It was entirely possible the thing would be unreadable, when all was said and done, or that it might have a function which he could never hope to discover with the equipment available to him. There was nothing to do but try.
Niou was a constant presence, never quite touching him, but always close. It would have been comforting, if he didn’t find himself wondering again and again what, precisely, Niou wanted from him at the moment. As it was, he was left slightly on edge, full of a kind of nervous tension. Had he been a less outwardly collected person he might have flinched away as Niou leaned in towards him, hand not quite brushing his neck as he reached for something nearby; or as the trickster walked past, just a little too close, hesitating by him a little too long. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Niou’s touch, really; he wanted it a little too much in some ways. But he only wanted it if it meant something to Niou, too. Yukimura might have laughed at that, but without malice. How old-fashioned, Yagyuu. Niou might laugh at it, too, but if he did it would have a cruel edge to it. It seemed somehow improbable that Niou believed in any sort of emotional attachment stronger than the loyalty between friends. He shouldn’t have made that comment, earlier; not even in jest.
He couldn’t allow it to matter for the moment. They had to work, they had to be professional, and they certainly couldn’t spare time to have a discussion (argument?) about the nature of their relationship. One day soon, though, Niou was going to try and push things to another level entirely, and if he did so wanting nothing more than casual sex every now and again then Yagyuu wasn’t entirely certain how he would respond.
Niou walked back into the room, sure footsteps and the slight rustle of fabric against fabric; the sound of a barely suppressed yawn and then a slight sense of motion behind him as the trickster peered over his shoulder to see what the gentleman was doing, his messy hair tickling Yagyuu’s neck. Yagyuu ignored the flare of emotion, focusing his awareness in until the world consisted of the components spread across the table in front of them and the tools he was using to manipulate them, with no room for anything (anyone) else. If he stayed focused, he could do this.
By the time Yagyuu cracked it, it was a fairly unreasonable hour of the morning. The flat was silent, now, except for the tap of keys where Yanagi was still navigating through VR, caught up in breaking through some apparently quite large obstacle. Niou was sleeping, sprawled awkwardly in a chair, a burnt-out cigarette held loosely between his fingers, and Kirihara had been silent for so long that he must have given up and gone to sleep as well. Yagyuu, eyes heavy with tiredness, sat and stared at the screen in front of him, not sure if he was fully comprehending what he was seeing; not even sure if it could be fully comprehended in the light of day, when he was more awake.
He was vaguely aware of Yanagi coming back to life across the room, shifting and stretching, looking distinctly tired. The hacker stood up, working life back in his limbs, and moved unhurriedly around to see what Yagyuu was doing; Yagyuu heard his sharp intake of breath as he looked at what was displayed on the screen, was sure that if he looked around he would see Yanagi’s face full of curiosity, confusion, maybe a little fear.
“So this...” Yanagi breathed.
“Yes.”
“No wonder this has been creating so much trouble.”
“Yes.”
Yagyuu pulled off his glasses, rubbed at his eyes, which would definitely rather be closed right now.
“I’ve got a little more information,” Yanagi added, sounding just as exhausted as Yagyuu felt, “but it can wait. Look at this in the morning. Your performance will be considerably decreased if you don’t rest. We’ve got some more pieces of the puzzle, but we’re in no state to try and put it all together right now.”
Yagyuu nodded. He had half a mind to fall asleep right there, at the table; moving seemed like altogether too much effort. A gentle hand on his shoulder indicated that he should stand, though, so he complied, and allowed Yanagi to guide him to a more comfortable seat.
“I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything more comfortable,” the other man commented apologetically, “but, as you see, this place is small.”
Yagyuu shrugged absently as he settled down, finding a position which suited his injured arm. He didn’t think this level of discomfort was going to be enough to stop him sleeping, right now.
* * * * *
Niou drifted back to consciousness too early, gradually becoming aware of the mass of aches he’d managed to gain in the course of the night, his mouth tasting of stale ash. Yagyuu and Yanagi had woken up already, he noted, as he opened one bleary eye; how was anyone’s guess, considering the time they must have finally gone to sleep. The two of them were bent over something on the table, which apparently needed their full attention, and were talking quietly but urgently. Yagyuu had figured something out, then.
He stood, stretching out limbs, massaging his arms to relieve the ache around his implants, and moved over to try and see what had the two technophiles so interested and concerned. Yanagi moved aside a little to let him see, giving him a silent nod of acknowledgement.
Niou rubbed at his forehead, still waking up, and tried to figure out what he was looking at.
The screen was displaying a series of annotated diagrams, but what they were of was something he couldn’t begin to figure out. Some seemed to be instructions for constructing hardware, of a type he didn’t recognise; others were more... abstract, almost. It was these that Yagyuu and Yanagi were focused on, and while they seemed to understand more than Niou (who couldn’t even grasp why this was important, without some explanation of what it all meant) there was still some level of incomprehension in their eyes. A kind of awe, too.
“What is it?” he asked, eventually, when it didn’t look like anyone was going to volunteer the information.
“We’re not certain,” Yagyuu replied, voice still hushed, “but it looks like something to do with an AI.”
Niou raised an eyebrow. Well, that was certainly...
“I didn’t think anyone believed they actually existed,” he commented, genuinely a little confused. Yanagi shook his head.
“There have always been rumours. If this is real, they’re definitely not without basis.”
“But how does it work? I mean, you’re talking about genuine AI, I take it, not some shitty simulation of intellect.”
Yagyuu looked over his shoulder at Niou, a trace of a smirk on his lips.
“We are indeed. And obviously it all works by magic, Niou.” That was a foolish question, his expression added. If anyone really understood how it worked, the world would be in a lot more trouble than it was already.
“It’s possible we’d be able to pick out a lot of the logic behind the creation process from the data we have here, actually,” Yanagi interjected, taking a closer look at one image. “However... maybe it’s best if no-one understands. AIs are forces to be reckoned with.”
“Best if it remains just like magic?”
“Quite.”
Niou yawned, pulling himself back upright and stretching a little more. This was all getting far too philosophical.
“I can’t deal with this shit first thing in the morning. You got any coffee, Yanagi?”
Part Seven
Author:
giving_groundTitle: Gentleman and Trickster (Part 6 of 8)
Theme and Number: 7 - Just Like Magic! or Wizardry
Genres: Cyberpunk
Warnings/Disclaimers: Not mine. AU, obviously. Second half has not been even slightly beta'd, because
dystopiarcadia is on holiday.Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: NiouxYagyuu (and a small dose of YanagixKirihara. if you want it to be.)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Welcome to the streets of Tokyo, in the not-so-distant future. Meet Niou and Yagyuu, a slightly unlikely pair, running errands for whoever will pay. Cyberpunk AU.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5
Yagyuu had expected a little more time before they came to blows, although if Ohtori was here because he was working for the corp then the actual fight was inevitable. He had not expected Ohtori to launch his avatar straight into an offensive configuration, but from the way he was moving through the unreal space of VR he couldn’t have much running other than attack programmes. Pulling up layers of defence, as fast as he could, Yagyuu barely managed to avoid the first assault, concealing his avatar’s location for long enough that Ohtori lost his lock and had to start again. It had been extremely close, but he could blame that on his injured arm. When it came to virtual combat, fractions of seconds made a difference, and his injury was more than enough to slow him noticeably in the high-speed system of cyberspace.
A few more passes, a few more evasions, one attempt at his own offensive, and it was becoming obvious that what Ohtori had going for him was the speed of his attacks. He must be able to manipulate programmes frighteningly fast, but at the same time, his technique wasn’t actually that good. The speed made it effective, unless you were good at evasion, and also made it harder to find openings for attacks of your own, but he couldn’t hold a lock too well; Yagyuu figured corps and hackers everywhere should fear the day he got that problem fixed. His frustration at Yagyuu’s constant evasion was beginning to show, however, even in VR where people’s emotions were so hard to discern most of the time. Yagyuu, for his part, was becoming aware that back in reality, his arm was hurting. A little too much strain after the events of the previous day, he supposed.
What is your purpose here, Ohtori? Yanagi sent, suddenly; he must have managed to free his attention from tearing apart the corp’s encryption for a moment.
That is not your concern, Ohtori shot back, but his avatar was slamming up line after line of defences as he apparently realised who he was facing. Yagyuu was infamous but Yanagi was legendary, and not to be taken lightly. Ohtori would be weighing up his options carefully at this stage.
That’s an odd thing to say, if he’s working for the corp. And he hasn’t called in backup, either... has he?
It took Yagyuu a moment to realise that Niou had sent that message, and that it had only been sent to him. Of course, that was about all Niou could do as a passenger, but what surprised Yagyuu was that he hadn’t even noticed Niou linking in. It must have occurred during the fight, when his attention had been fairly thoroughly taken up with other things. It was probably just as well he couldn’t see Niou’s face, or hear his tone of voice; he was unlikely to be pleased, right now.
Yagyuu, Niou sent again, he’s not here on their business. He thinks you two are, though.
Ah. Yes. Sometimes, Niou’s brain worked altogether too fast. If he’d come to that conclusion, though, Yagyuu trusted his judgement; in professional matters, Niou could be relied upon. Usually.
We’re not part of the security, he sent to Ohtori, and I don’t believe you are either, which renders this all rather pointless. What is your purpose here?
There was a definite pause, at that. Ohtori’s avatar made a sign of submission, non-aggression. After a second which seemed to stretch out for entirely too long, Yanagi’s did the same. The fight was over, for the moment.
Information, Ohtori admitted. Yagyuu could practically feel Niou’s self-satisfied smirk. But we were sure you were a part of it, after the incident in the facility.
Yagyuu considered these words. Niou was certainly doing the same, at several times the speed, but Yanagi’s attention was probably still half diverted towards the encryption.
Something about Ohtori’s turn of phrase made him think there was a considerable amount going on that they still weren’t aware of. What were they meant to have been a part of?
Wait a minute, he got from Niou, I need to check on something.
What do you mean? Yagyuu sent back; but Niou’s link was already dead.
* * * * *
Niou disconnected, reached for his phone -- less private than a mental link, but it didn’t require as much effort to set up, and you only had to know a number to reach someone. Besides, the link headware wasn’t precisely legit without pretty heavy regulation, so not everyone had it fitted. He didn’t have the kind of extensive web of contacts some runners like Yanagi had, but he was pretty sure he could get hold of someone who’d be able to tell him what he wanted to know. It was just a confirmation of suspicions, really.
Four calls later, and he’d heard everything he needed. It was no wonder Ohtori was on edge; from the sound of things, Hyoutei was practically at war right now, and didn’t even know who it was fighting. Kirihara was watching him curiously from a corner, but the younger man hadn’t said anything to him since he’d gone to connect to VR. He was glad rikkai’s little demon seemed to be feeling fairly level-headed today despite his earlier baiting; a dose of Kirihara’s temper wouldn’t be helpful, at this stage. Apparently, though, Yanagi was doing some good -- even if he couldn’t exert nearly the level of control that Yukimura once had. Kirihara would be ok for a little while yet.
For now, he should see how things were unfolding in VR, and give Yagyuu an update on the situation. It seemed unlikely that Ohtori would have told them much while he was gone, all things considered.
This situation seemed to consist of complication upon complication. Niou didn’t like it, though it was undeniably more interesting than the average job.
Back in the artificial space of VR, things still seemed relatively calm. Yanagi and Ohtori looked to be engaged in some manner of negotiation.
What did I miss? he asked Yagyuu.
Not much. But you were right. Don’t cut off like that.
Niou laughed a little, privately. You know you love me.
Perhaps, Yagyuu sent back, but that’s beside the point.
It wasn’t often, Niou reflected briefly, that he was at such a complete loss for words. It took him rather too long to remember that he was going to tell Yagyuu.
By the way, he managed eventually, I don’t know if Ohtori told you, but Hyoutei is pretty fucked right now.
Eloquent, Niou, the reply came. Would you care to elaborate, or are you going to sit there feeling smug about your investigation skills all night?
Yagyuu, apparently, wasn’t feeling terribly patient, although Niou could forgive him that much.
I don’t know much, he admitted, but Hyoutei is under attack as a unit. It’s more or less a war, but they don’t know who they’re fighting against; they assumed we were at least a part of it, though. Ohtori will be here to try and find out more or less the same sorts of things we want to know. Maybe Yanagi should work with him on that, and you should get the hell out of VR and try working out what the chipset we stole actually is?
There was some more discussion, but Niou’s sense of smugness (momentarily shaken by Yagyuu’s actually quite unexpected comment) was reinforced as events began to take the shape he had suggested. Before long, Yanagi and Ohtori had set to work together, although Ohtori seemed less than pleased with the situation; and Niou and Yagyuu were back in reality. Yagyuu was looking faintly tired, which seemed a little unfair to Niou, given that he was the only one who’d had any rest lately.
“This would be so much easier,” Yagyuu was murmuring, a faint frown spreading across his face, “if I had access to my entire workshop, not just what we could carry easily. I’ll take a look at what Yanagi has.”
Kirihara shot Niou a despairing look behind Yagyuu’s back as the neat man moved through the flat, checking equipment and assembling tools.
“Just talk to him, you bastard, before your sexual tension kills me,” he muttered, when Yagyuu left the room for a moment. Niou ignored him, pointedly.
They didn’t have time for that, right now. Emotions always had to be secondary.
He watched Yagyuu work, without knowing precisely what his partner was doing. It was obviously delicate work, and time-consuming, the sort of thing Niou would never have had the patience to learn. He’d performed a careful inspection of the hardware, then started working on it with other machines, painstakingly carefully and slowly. Yagyuu, whose patience was not infinite, whatever some people might believe, began to look somewhat harassed after the first few hours. Kirihara was beginning to edge slowly away from sanity in the next room, with no-one paying him any attention. Yanagi had surfaced briefly, a couple of times, to get a drink or throw a comment to Yagyuu which might as well have been in another language; and Niou was... waiting, with more restraint than he’d thought he’d possessed. He’d played his part for the moment. Now, it was Yagyuu’s turn, and a chance for the reserved man to mend his pride after getting himself shot as the Trickster.
* * * * *
Yagyuu wasn’t sure if Niou had been aware of how much his arm was hurting from trying to keep up combat speed in VR, but regardless, he was glad when he was offered an honourable way out. This work was easier for him, and more satisfying, although he had to work a little slower than usual -- it didn’t matter if his reaction times were down a half-second, a second.
A few hours, and he had its basic structure down, had figured out what he’d need to do to read it, although it was going to take a good part of the night to rig together a set-up which could cope with the task, and he might have to get in a few extra parts. Once that was done, he’d be able to worry about encryption, or strange software he’d never heard of, or anything else a corporate research facility could throw at him, which was probably quite a lot. It was entirely possible the thing would be unreadable, when all was said and done, or that it might have a function which he could never hope to discover with the equipment available to him. There was nothing to do but try.
Niou was a constant presence, never quite touching him, but always close. It would have been comforting, if he didn’t find himself wondering again and again what, precisely, Niou wanted from him at the moment. As it was, he was left slightly on edge, full of a kind of nervous tension. Had he been a less outwardly collected person he might have flinched away as Niou leaned in towards him, hand not quite brushing his neck as he reached for something nearby; or as the trickster walked past, just a little too close, hesitating by him a little too long. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Niou’s touch, really; he wanted it a little too much in some ways. But he only wanted it if it meant something to Niou, too. Yukimura might have laughed at that, but without malice. How old-fashioned, Yagyuu. Niou might laugh at it, too, but if he did it would have a cruel edge to it. It seemed somehow improbable that Niou believed in any sort of emotional attachment stronger than the loyalty between friends. He shouldn’t have made that comment, earlier; not even in jest.
He couldn’t allow it to matter for the moment. They had to work, they had to be professional, and they certainly couldn’t spare time to have a discussion (argument?) about the nature of their relationship. One day soon, though, Niou was going to try and push things to another level entirely, and if he did so wanting nothing more than casual sex every now and again then Yagyuu wasn’t entirely certain how he would respond.
Niou walked back into the room, sure footsteps and the slight rustle of fabric against fabric; the sound of a barely suppressed yawn and then a slight sense of motion behind him as the trickster peered over his shoulder to see what the gentleman was doing, his messy hair tickling Yagyuu’s neck. Yagyuu ignored the flare of emotion, focusing his awareness in until the world consisted of the components spread across the table in front of them and the tools he was using to manipulate them, with no room for anything (anyone) else. If he stayed focused, he could do this.
By the time Yagyuu cracked it, it was a fairly unreasonable hour of the morning. The flat was silent, now, except for the tap of keys where Yanagi was still navigating through VR, caught up in breaking through some apparently quite large obstacle. Niou was sleeping, sprawled awkwardly in a chair, a burnt-out cigarette held loosely between his fingers, and Kirihara had been silent for so long that he must have given up and gone to sleep as well. Yagyuu, eyes heavy with tiredness, sat and stared at the screen in front of him, not sure if he was fully comprehending what he was seeing; not even sure if it could be fully comprehended in the light of day, when he was more awake.
He was vaguely aware of Yanagi coming back to life across the room, shifting and stretching, looking distinctly tired. The hacker stood up, working life back in his limbs, and moved unhurriedly around to see what Yagyuu was doing; Yagyuu heard his sharp intake of breath as he looked at what was displayed on the screen, was sure that if he looked around he would see Yanagi’s face full of curiosity, confusion, maybe a little fear.
“So this...” Yanagi breathed.
“Yes.”
“No wonder this has been creating so much trouble.”
“Yes.”
Yagyuu pulled off his glasses, rubbed at his eyes, which would definitely rather be closed right now.
“I’ve got a little more information,” Yanagi added, sounding just as exhausted as Yagyuu felt, “but it can wait. Look at this in the morning. Your performance will be considerably decreased if you don’t rest. We’ve got some more pieces of the puzzle, but we’re in no state to try and put it all together right now.”
Yagyuu nodded. He had half a mind to fall asleep right there, at the table; moving seemed like altogether too much effort. A gentle hand on his shoulder indicated that he should stand, though, so he complied, and allowed Yanagi to guide him to a more comfortable seat.
“I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything more comfortable,” the other man commented apologetically, “but, as you see, this place is small.”
Yagyuu shrugged absently as he settled down, finding a position which suited his injured arm. He didn’t think this level of discomfort was going to be enough to stop him sleeping, right now.
* * * * *
Niou drifted back to consciousness too early, gradually becoming aware of the mass of aches he’d managed to gain in the course of the night, his mouth tasting of stale ash. Yagyuu and Yanagi had woken up already, he noted, as he opened one bleary eye; how was anyone’s guess, considering the time they must have finally gone to sleep. The two of them were bent over something on the table, which apparently needed their full attention, and were talking quietly but urgently. Yagyuu had figured something out, then.
He stood, stretching out limbs, massaging his arms to relieve the ache around his implants, and moved over to try and see what had the two technophiles so interested and concerned. Yanagi moved aside a little to let him see, giving him a silent nod of acknowledgement.
Niou rubbed at his forehead, still waking up, and tried to figure out what he was looking at.
The screen was displaying a series of annotated diagrams, but what they were of was something he couldn’t begin to figure out. Some seemed to be instructions for constructing hardware, of a type he didn’t recognise; others were more... abstract, almost. It was these that Yagyuu and Yanagi were focused on, and while they seemed to understand more than Niou (who couldn’t even grasp why this was important, without some explanation of what it all meant) there was still some level of incomprehension in their eyes. A kind of awe, too.
“What is it?” he asked, eventually, when it didn’t look like anyone was going to volunteer the information.
“We’re not certain,” Yagyuu replied, voice still hushed, “but it looks like something to do with an AI.”
Niou raised an eyebrow. Well, that was certainly...
“I didn’t think anyone believed they actually existed,” he commented, genuinely a little confused. Yanagi shook his head.
“There have always been rumours. If this is real, they’re definitely not without basis.”
“But how does it work? I mean, you’re talking about genuine AI, I take it, not some shitty simulation of intellect.”
Yagyuu looked over his shoulder at Niou, a trace of a smirk on his lips.
“We are indeed. And obviously it all works by magic, Niou.” That was a foolish question, his expression added. If anyone really understood how it worked, the world would be in a lot more trouble than it was already.
“It’s possible we’d be able to pick out a lot of the logic behind the creation process from the data we have here, actually,” Yanagi interjected, taking a closer look at one image. “However... maybe it’s best if no-one understands. AIs are forces to be reckoned with.”
“Best if it remains just like magic?”
“Quite.”
Niou yawned, pulling himself back upright and stretching a little more. This was all getting far too philosophical.
“I can’t deal with this shit first thing in the morning. You got any coffee, Yanagi?”
Part Seven
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Brilliant
Date: 2005-12-25 04:22 am (UTC)Re: Brilliant
Date: 2005-12-25 07:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 04:47 am (UTC)The plot thickens. If I had a beard ( a la your professors) I'd stroke it.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 07:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 08:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 09:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 09:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 10:07 am (UTC)I'm really really happy you like my characterisations. And that you like my cyberpunk, because writing cyberpunk is fun.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 11:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 11:56 am (UTC)I RP cyberpunk stuff, mostly in the form of Shadowrun (which isn't really "pure" cyberpunk, because it has magic as well), and it really is enjoyable. Tabletop, that is. I haven't done online RP in a damn long time, except using our tabletop characters on MSN when we're in different countries, as happens... entirely too often.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 11:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 01:27 pm (UTC)Umm...Shadowrun? I RP too! come to think of it, although my friend and I mostly just refer to it as an imaginary game. Or Llama, but anyway. Heh, we used to play it table top or over the phone, but we have expanded into MSN. What *is* counted as cyberpunk, though? Only technology and cyberspace?
I think I've got Havelock Vetinari down there too. I don't ship them together, though. ^^ My personal quirk is that if the person's married, then I don't slash them with someone else.
Ooh, and I'm a nosy person and like stalking people's userinfos as well! How fun! You like Neil Gaiman as well. So, ditto. Anyone who likes PoT, Tolkien, Gaiman, and ohmygod FMA too? Has got to be a potential soulmate. XD Shall we be friends?
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 01:28 pm (UTC)*glomps*
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 01:33 pm (UTC)Oh yes. Let's be friends. *grin*
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 07:47 am (UTC)YAY NEW FRIEND. *spazzes*
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 09:13 am (UTC)Shadowrun is one of my Three True RPG Loves. The other two are Exalted (http://www.white-wolf.com/exalted/index.php?line=intro) (the wannabe-anime game. It sort of fails but we love it anyway.) and Deadlands (currently not really doing a good job of existing, but is the RPG which uses poker chips and playing cards as part of the game mechanics. It's the weird west. With the mad science and the shamans and the zombies and...)
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-02 11:34 am (UTC)Kirihara is so adorable ; ; [and Choutarou got a bigger part, I'm so happy]. I'd comment a nicer, longer comment, but I'm in a hurry to read the next part. >>