[color=silver][center][h2][color=0099aa]๐ƒ๐ฎ๐ง๐œ๐š๐ง ๐’๐ญ๐ž๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ญ[/color][/h2] __________________________________________________[/center] [i] "At the very least, I donโ€™t think heโ€™d want that burden on us."[/i] Duncan practically stabbed his hand back down, scooping up another handful of soil and tossing it unceremoniously over one shoulder. He'd been at this, digging like a man possessed since before sunrise โ€” since realizing he couldn't hear Yuki's shallow breaths anymore. He wanted to be the one to do this, before anyone else could butt in or offer their help. Digging a fucking hole was the only thing he could do for his friend now, so he intended to dig[i] the best goddamn hole [/i]this side of... wherever the hell they were. It was pathetic, he knew. He couldn't save Yuki, and yet Yuki had, as his final act in this world, saved [i]him[/i]. Saved him from the burden of murder. If he hadn't talked about it with Yukiko first, if Hiroshi hadn't been able to predict Yuki's time of death, if Duncan had thought to let Yuki go sooner, would he have-- [i]could[/i] he actually have... It sounded so absurd now, like a scene from a shitty flick. He'd been so determined in his desperation last night, but now he couldn't believe the thought had even crossed his mind. It scared him a little, made him wonder what he was truly capable of. Was he just one weird-ass experience away from snapping like Ayana and Kogen had? God, he hoped not. They had enough loonies to last them a while. Duncan stood up on the bottom of the newly dug grave-to-be only once he realized he was parched. He'd yet to break a sweat thanks to his new powers, and hadn't paid any attention to the passage of time โ€” [i]or [/i]the depth of the hole he'd dug, for that matter. So when he looked up and realized how distant the sky was, he figured he should probably stop before he dug all the way to China. Or, uh, whatever was on the opposite side of Japan. Canada? God, he wished he could dig to Canada. His choices now were to climb up and find water, or to keep digging a while longer, until his brain stopped replaying memories of Yuki, interloped with the image of his lifeless body on endless repeat. ... Duncan shoved his hand back into the soil.[/color]