Chapter 105

Freshly showered Motoko felt much better than blood coated Motoko. I did have to take a brush to my arms though. Vik was definitely going to give me that look next time I saw him if I let blood stains get stuck in my joints.

 

After spending a good while digging into nooks and crannies of my arms. I walked back into the apartment.

 

Of course nothing was how it should be. For one the windows were all broken. The metal guard was also ruined, a hole punched through a few blinds breaking the whole system.

 

The couch though was the worst. The bullet had smashed through the couch through the wall and continued on, but had caused what little fluff there was left in our ancient couch to balloon out.

 

It was totally wrecked. Gonna need to buy a new damn couch. I had cleaned up the glass before I took a shower, and now here I was.

 

I was on the couch going over the fingers on my left hand still cleaning out bits of grime.

 

I heard it before I realized what it was. The elevator came up and stopped at our floor. I glanced up. The door opened, I was on guard already reaching for my Burya that I still had holstered to my chest.

 

I guess I just didn’t feel very safe right now without it.

 

But then Jun stepped into the apartment, his feet practically slamming into the ground.

 

Which was unusual because Jun had his sneaky feet.

 

“Motoko!” Jun didn’t quite roar but I rolled my eyes. Serious Nemesis vibes Jun. I know you can say more than my name.

 

“Yes this is Motoko.” I replied flippantly, but decided not to leave it there. “Hey Jun. Showers free.” I told him looking over his own bloody state. He stilled as if trying to restrain himself from acting out at my casual tone.

 

Which now that I think about it was likely exactly what was happening.

 

Suddenly he was on me grabbing me by the arms and lifting me straight off the couch until we were face to face. The towel on my head flopped forward a bit, almost covering one of my eyes, but I couldn’t exactly reach it with how Jun was holding me like this.

 

“Do not ever! EVER! Jump off a building like that again! Are you insane!” He didn’t quite yell. Instead it was the noise of someone trying to stay quiet, but still wanting to yell.

 

“My BD recorder was on when I made that leap. I’ll make sure to give you a copy. It was pret-t-t-t-ty.” I stopped as Jun shook me like back and forth suddenly.

 

“DON’T PLAY DUMB!” He roared and I was silenced mostly because he had given me shaken baby syndrome.

 

“Okay first ow.”

 

“Why? Why are you like this! Why don’t you ever listen! Why don’t you ever just be safe!?”

 

Okay I was done with this.

 

My forehead bashed into Jun’s stupid face.

 

“Fuck!” He cursed as he let me go.

 

“Ow. Your face is hard as fuck!” I cursed back holding my forehead. Was I bleeding? I was! When did Jun get his face armored! Ow! But I shook that off. I had to focus on my brother. The last time I had seen him like this…

 

“I’m so FUCKING DONE WITH YOU!” He roared and to my lack of surprise swung at me. But I wasn’t going to let him hurt me whenever he was deep in the throes of Cyberpsychosis.

 

I leapt over him, and as I landed, kicked both of his knees out.

 

I rolled just barely avoiding his bulk as he hit the floor with an oof.

 

I picked myself up as Jun started to do the same. He was definitely heated.

 

“You know the last time you swung at me like that you didn’t actually aim for me. This time you did.” I said, trying to cut through his anger to reach him.

 

He did slow as he stood up he was huffing and puffing. Anger and adrenaline shooting through him.

 

“You were supposed to let me help! We were supposed to do this together! You throw yourself into danger over and over and-” He growled out but he wasn’t swinging at me anymore.“You never listen!”

 

I of course ignored his words. I listened to Jun all the time. Just not every time. I wasn’t his toy after all.

 

“You’ve had a rough night Jun. Maybe it was a bad idea to head out on my own, but not because it was dangerous. But because you aren’t handling this well. Being attacked at home must have really messed with you huh?” I asked and his blazing eyes jerked up to meet mine in a glare.

 

We both were silent. Jun was visibly holding himself back from whatever he was trying to yell at me.

 

Dammit… Fujimura. I leave my brother in your hands for one night, and he is back to practically full cyberpsychosis again. His rants about protecting me, right back to how he was before.

 

I wasn’t going to get kidnapped to shock him out of it this time either.

 

“Okay Jun. I’m calling an official cease fire. Go take a shower. Clean up. Get some clean clothes.” I demanded pointing at the bathroom.

 

“I’m not… Motoko I’m not taking a shower right now! You-”

“Will be here when you come out. Clean, not covered in blood. Look at yourself Jun.” I said and he blinked slowly looking at a near by mirror on the wall.

 

“It’s fine.”

“Your hair is like 90% blood right now. What did you do, hold a Scav over your head and rip him in half?”

 

“No.”

 

Jun that no was a pretty weak denial. Nope, not going to think about that.

 

“Take a shower Jun-nii. I’ll be here. Waiting for you when you are done.” Then carefully I walked up to him and pushed him.

 

He barely budged at first, but slowly the tension in him eased and he let me push him to the bathroom.

 

—–

 

“Feel better?” I asked, as he came out of the shower patting his damp hair.

 

“I’m fine.” He grumbled, but I didn’t argue about that. Jun was touchy right now.

 

“Come sit.” I demanded pointing at the couch and Jun nodded, settling into the couch in a single big flop that made the poor thing groan. I had grabbed some of his casual clothes for him when he went into the shower, so thankfully he hadn’t redressed in his TC outfit.

 

Sweatpants and a t-shirt was good comfy clothing, and Jun needed comfy right now.

 

“Motoko-”

“Yes this is Motoko.” I replied cutting him off. I should stop doing that. Konosuba probably doesn’t even exist in this world. That joke wouldn’t make any sense.

 

But having caught Jun on the back foot by talking I surprised him. Grabbing the comb and towel I had prepared beforehand I crawled behind him settling on the back of the couch.

 

“What are you-”

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“Shush.” Then I started floofing his hair with the towel.

 

“Motoko.” Jun grumbled, and I proved myself the more mature one of us by resisting responding the same way again. Instead I pulled the towel down and started combing my big stupid Onii-chans hair. Making sure he got all the blood and guts out of it.

 

I had seen Jun eat his burritos. He was as messy an eater as he was a killer.

 

“What crazy thing is going through your head now?” He drawled, but I was smiling because that was Jun speaking and not the angry rage beast.

 

“Nothing you want to hear. But if you are asking about me combing your hair. It’s because you need a little bit of time to realize that we are safe. Everything is okay. I’m here. Not hurt. You are here. Only a few more bullet holes than normal… Looks like you actually went to a ripper though. So I won’t yell at you for that.” I told him, having pulled up his shirt to check and see that he had a few new holes in his chest, but they had at least been treated.

 

“I’m fine Motoko. I’m more worried about you!”

 

“Yeah I noticed that. With all the screaming of my name and everything.” I told him bluntly.

 

“You ran off to get into fights alone!”

“Which as a stealth infiltration specialist… I should get cards. Jun note for the future. I need business cards. Anyway, As a stealth specialist, going solo is actually pretty safe for me. Which you know. You saw me take out the Raffen that one time, remember? And the Scavs that night you were feeling overprotective again.”

“You should have someone watch your back! People don’t go solo like that for long Motoko. It only takes one mistake to die like that! When I said you could do as you liked! Piss off anyone you want. I wasn’t intending for you to go after them by yourself!”

 

“This isn’t the first Scav den I’ve hit solo Jun. You know that. And it only takes one mistake to die regardless Jun. But I was fine. I went in hard. Full optical blackout, and weapon glitch. Only then did I appear and start killing. But this whole thing isn’t about me hitting Scav dens. You only get like this when you don’t feel safe… I think that’s the trigger for your psychosis. So I’m sorry. I’m sorry what I was doing was making you feel unsafe.”

 

He didn’t say anything, but I could feel the tension still in him as I combed his rather silly hair. But that’s fine. This wasn’t entirely a rational issue Jun was having.

 

We had been attacked. We had been attacked somewhere that is supposed to be safe. Of course that would set off Jun’s psychosis.

 

It was something I had come to accept about my new lifes brother long ago. Jun wasn’t mentally healthy.

 

He was stable mostly. He was I think getting better, but he wasn’t good.

 

I doubt he would ever be good again. Not without a whole lot of therapy, and ripping nearly all the chrome out of him.

 

“You aren’t hurt?” He asked finally out of the blue.

 

“I accidentally tripped in some blood and bruised my butt.” I told him honestly and it took a moment but my brother’s shoulders started shaking a bit and he snrrked and snorted and then broke out into full blown laughter at me.

 

Just as Keikaku.

 

Keikaku means plan.

 

—–

 

Jun was asleep. I had helped dry him off and ended up putting a XXL burrito into him, before making sure he got to sleep.

 

I couldn’t actually order him to sleep of course, that would just make him obstinate, but he had been up for a long time, and just letting everything go quiet, and calm belly full of warm Burrito he had slumped off into his room not long after.

 

Flopping onto the couch I stared at the ceiling for a while just processing.

 

Jun’s mental state. My own less than stellar mental health at the moment. Like the fact I didn’t have anymore god damned Scavs to kill.

 

I sighed. That was exactly the problem. That urge to keep hunting them. Killing Scavs was a good thing, but I wasn’t being calm about it. I was too emotionally disrupted myself.

 

But I… I wasn’t ready to stop yet. A little more. A little more murder and I would take a break. I just needed more dens to wipe out…

 

Hopefully Wakako would come in clutch. Or Yoko.

 

But it might actually be time to spread out a bit. Wakako only really took care of gigs in a small part of the city…

 

I could reach out to Regina for info. I wasn’t sure what our relationship was at the moment, but a free offer to clear out any Scav gigs, and eddies for info should at least clear up some issues.

 

But that was still only a tiny bit of the city.

 

I was going to need to reach out to Jackie. He knew Padre. That was another piece of the city.

 

That was how serious I was about this. No more. No more letting Scavs hide in the corners of the city.

 

They die. Or I do. That was where we were at, and I wasn’t about to let myself die to a bunch of scum sucking Scavs.

 

So I needed contacts with all of the Fixers.

 

And I needed more chrome. Even as I thought that I winced and wanted to punch myself for being a fool, but it was still true.

 

“Okay Motoko. One thing at a time.” I whispered and opened my system.