[Hunching further into Kaneda's jacket until the collar muffles his mumbled reply, Tetsuo nods numbly, flinching a little at the vehemence in Ikki's voice.]
...That's right. That's Pan...
[Who, ultimately, hadn't won. But in an infuriating reverse parallel to Tetsuo himself, Pan hadn't lost, either. Not really. It's thanks to him that Tetsuo's a powerless shadow now, meaningless and scared.
There's no mistaking the raw pain under his voice, soft and unsteady as it is. All that comforting rage... where had it gone? His safety net between himself and how he really felt was gone. He's not looking up at Ikki, shame and remembered horror keeping him from realizing Ikki's real reaction. Too caught up in his own tragedy and assumptions to even think to question their accuracy.
He got to see now just who Tetsuo was. And Tetsuo can't take refuge in denial anymore; that powerless weakling was who he had to always be.]
no subject
...That's right. That's Pan...
[Who, ultimately, hadn't won. But in an infuriating reverse parallel to Tetsuo himself, Pan hadn't lost, either. Not really. It's thanks to him that Tetsuo's a powerless shadow now, meaningless and scared.
There's no mistaking the raw pain under his voice, soft and unsteady as it is. All that comforting rage... where had it gone? His safety net between himself and how he really felt was gone. He's not looking up at Ikki, shame and remembered horror keeping him from realizing Ikki's real reaction. Too caught up in his own tragedy and assumptions to even think to question their accuracy.
He got to see now just who Tetsuo was. And Tetsuo can't take refuge in denial anymore; that powerless weakling was who he had to always be.]