He knows Akechi hates him. He knows Akechi wants to kill him. He knows Akechi would kill him, without hesitation, if he stood in the way of his goals for even an iota of a second. He's known these things for months.
By that same token, he knows Akechi wants him to live. He's known that for even longer. Akechi was dropping hints for him to steer clear of a power neither of them would name long before he ever broke down in that monastic castle bedroom.
None of it is surprising, exactly, but the intensity of it rings louder than Maruki expected.
Akechi wants him to live. To escape, to run away to the countryside, to live. More fully than he ever could in Tokyo, haunted by a ghost of his own creation that lives in the shadows of his solitude.
no subject
He knows Akechi hates him. He knows Akechi wants to kill him. He knows Akechi would kill him, without hesitation, if he stood in the way of his goals for even an iota of a second. He's known these things for months.
By that same token, he knows Akechi wants him to live. He's known that for even longer. Akechi was dropping hints for him to steer clear of a power neither of them would name long before he ever broke down in that monastic castle bedroom.
None of it is surprising, exactly, but the intensity of it rings louder than Maruki expected.
Akechi wants him to live. To escape, to run away to the countryside, to live. More fully than he ever could in Tokyo, haunted by a ghost of his own creation that lives in the shadows of his solitude.
Maruki stares straight ahead. Speaks slowly, pointedly. ]
If you're in Tokyo, I'm in Tokyo.
[ I want to be there for you to see your plan through.
What's important to you is important to me, too. ]
That's not up for debate.