despite what you give, it's just never enough. (closed)

[trainwrecking]

Who: Aoi Misato (eyewillprotect) and Yuzuru Otonashi (trainwrecking)
Where: 13th hour patrol in the city
Summary: Otonashi and Aoi go together on a late-night patrol to protect the city only to be caught in a burning building, dredging up painful memories for Aoi and awful deja vu for Otonashi.
Warnings: (Burning, death, talk of death, possibly mild swearing. Will edit as needed!)

It seemed like the obvious choice to patrol together tonight. Both Aoi Misato and Yuzuru Otonashi insisted on serving the city, often separately or through different methods, but with the same end result in mind.

Protect people, serve people. Help those who cannot help themselves. Save them, even if the monster threatening to overtake them is a daunting one.

There is a moment here, in the heat of the moment, where Otonashi kicks himself for feeling even an ounce of regret for pursuing this endeavor. By now, she must be gone, that nameless girl: that native woman, the owner of this home who had beckoned to them for help in the throes of her own inebriated fright. She had stood outside of this aged home, her hands held to her chest as though this could hold back her fear as she recounted the story of her missed curfew and the demon's invasion of her home--the only thing she had left of her family, she thought, but sometimes second guessed after the city's well-known memory wipe.

It had spoken to Otonashi. He empathized, and that empathy and resolve keeps him firing off rounds into the demon who continuously pushes back at both Aoi and Otonashi, slinging enough fire attacks their way to damage some of the house and all of its' fragmented memory.

"Aoi! I'm going to try for its eyes next, can you cover? I can't see any other weak point yet!"

Comments

[eyewillprotect]

Aoi's feelings on the matter are utterly resolute, just as they had always been. This woman needed help, and if there was anything Aoi could do, she would do it - which is why she stands with Otonashi, naginata in hand. Of course, the weapon itself hasn't gotten much use given the demon's attack preferences. More often than not, she'd needed to focus her concentration on forming barriers to deflect the attacks.

She gives a brief nod before responding verbally: "Go ahead, I'll watch you-!"

[trainwrecking]

Practice has honed his aim since his arrival, so with a few swift, satisfying clicks, he fires a round towards the beast's eyes and recoils when it rears back and summons fire in his direction. He's thankful for Aoi's defense and nods her way before moving for the tactic again.

However, the house around them seems to be getting worse for the wear. Blazing decor, freshly alight with fire, crackles in the background. Before long, there's a gray veil of smoke in the house, impairing Otonashi's vision just enough to slow him down.

"Is there any way we can get this thing outs--?!" He cuts himself off, sucking in a breath through his teeth as the demon throws another wave of fire their way. The structural integrity isn't awful yet, but there's enough sputtering and creaking to cause concern.

[eyewillprotect]

Her lips are pressed tightly together as the battle continues, waiting for that precise moment when a barrier may be needed. She and her friends at home had often gotten into fierce fights such as this, but all of them had become somewhat sturdier due to their powers and could take much more damage than the average person because of it - Otonashi, however, most likely could not.

However, it isn't as though she's entirely unaware of the scene around them, either. As the flames lick at the walls, she can't help but recall another similar scene, one where she had been rendered so powerless...

Ah, the fire--! She snaps back to attention, immediately throwing another barrier in place. But she realizes her mistake too late- at this rate, the building is sure to begin collapsing.

"No...!" her whisper is so soft, it's not likely it could be heard over the roar of the flames. Please, no. Not again...

[trainwrecking]

Normally he would be all too sensitive to her signals of distress, but in the midst of a fight he can only catch a glimpse of her hesitation. The beast looms closer, swiping a gnarled paw at both of them. Otonashi isn't exactly the most athletic boy she could have with her, but he's quick enough to skid into her to knock them both aside, just in case she doesn't react in time on her own. The attack wrecks a nearby table and puts a sizable dent in the wall, but the miscalculation only further angers it.

"Aoi, back up if you need to!" The redhead parts from her there, circling the monster again to search for any other weak spot. It seems to have some odd markings on its back, he notes, but the demon isn't concerned with him.

It's eying her barriers and sending another wave of flame at her instead. Of course: cut out the support first and it'd leave them exposed. It doesn't take long for it to raise its twisted paw again, intending her: or perhaps one of the house's many support beams beside her.

[eyewillprotect]

She is pushed aside, and that throws her off balance just enough that she's slow to react. Although she attempts to back off as he said, the monster's attack comes too quickly, and she is forced to put up another barrier in a desperate attempt to protect herself.

Unfortunately, it doesn't quite protect the support beam as well.

As the ceiling comes crashing down, she's only able to utter a small scream before the barrier breaks under the force, and she finds herself pinned under the wreckage, wooden beams pressing down into her back and crushing her into the floor.

No.

This can't be happening. It's just like before--

No. Not again.

In a panic, she tries to raise her head, pushing herself up off of the floor as best as she can. "Yuzuru-? Yuzuru, are you okay?!" Her voice is frantic and strained, both from the rubble squeezing her breath and the worry for her friend's life.

He can't be--!

[trainwrecking]

Only a few bullets make it into the monster's back. Striking one of those sigils seems to have a small effect, but Aoi's shriek pierces through any tactics he may have been forming, rendering them useless. He's a blur of panicked, high-pitched gasps. The monster might as well have disappeared with how little attention he's giving it.

"Aoi! It's fine, hold on! I-I'm going to try to-- just--" Words fail him, dying in his throat after that. Despite the flames flickering around him and the burning, crumbled foundation on her back, he grabs it and throws all of his strength into trying to lift it. At least if he could do that she could escape, but the task proves itself difficult. "It'll be okay, I--"

The demon, however, has no intention of letting this perceived win be for naught. It screeches enough to get his attention, and the promise of preparing another barrage of flames to finish them off prompts him to try firing at it again. Still, he can't bring himself to leave Aoi's side.

This is a mistake, as the beast has had just about enough of those projectiles.

[eyewillprotect]

She's initially relieved to see that he is alive and safe, and it relaxes her guard enough that she suddenly becomes all too aware of the pain in her back. It's enough to make her flinch, lowering her head at the burning sensation that is all too real this time.

"Yuzuru- I'll be fine, just go!" She raises her voice as much as she can, but admittedly, it's difficult to make her voice carry when she's so short of breath, and when there's so much going on around them. She hears the gunshots, but it's difficult for her to raise her head again to see it clearly.

[trainwrecking]

"No! You wouldn't 'just go...' I can't do that!" As the monster takes another barrage of lead, it rears back, the prepared flame partially snuffed for now. But left in its place is raw fury, visible in its more rigid steps and grating screeches.

There's a moment of conflict as he looks down to Aoi, but that hesitation is enough for the demon to strike him. His vision blurs, and he's vaguely aware that warm blood is trailing down the side of his head, that his body aches, that breathing is slowly becoming more taxing, and that he's no longer kneeling next to Aoi anymore.

His gun had clattered to the ground beside her, its owner sent crashing through the wall of a distant room. With the structural integrity already compromising, his point of entry soon collapsed in on itself, swallowed in flame.

Vision still swimming, he attempts to sit up. Something isn't right...

The exit... I need to get back out there...

[eyewillprotect]

She's screaming again, but this time it's a coherent name.

"Yuzuru!"

She can't let this happen again. She can't. She can hear sounds of screaming, of her name, and she's not entirely sure what's real and what isn't.

But she does know that this monster must be stopped if she is to save her friend this time.

"You-!"

Her head is still bowed when a blue light, not unlike the blue of a Persona summoning, surrounds each of the pieces of rubble around her. Before long they are lifted into the air, and after only a moments' hovering, they are launched en masse towards the demon.

Catch-all: AFTERMATH.

[trainwrecking]

[This is for anyone who responded to the network post HERE, who may want to show up afterward to finish off the monster or just see the wreckage and ask WTF just happened.

Thanks guys! ♥]

Here comes the non-hero brigade?

[icanhearscreams]

Ushiro's not a hero. He's never thought of himself as one, even though he technically saved the world. He also murdered another world, even if it was needed.

But something about that desperate plea for help struck a chord with him - something about the pleading that reminded him of Kana. And so it was without real regard for his own safety that Ushiro rushed out, heading towards the scene.

... The sight of the demon made his stomach drop, but he had to do something.

"Zearth! Online!"

The robot appeared in front of him, and without a verbal command sent a Zionga racing right towards the demon.

Hey a fellow world-murdering non-hero what's up?

[echo_of_a_jedi]

Meetra had no particular conflicts about meddling in someone else's fight - not when it was clearly a matter of life and death.

A boy she didn't know was attacking the demon by the time she got there, even with Force-enhanced speed, so she tries to get between it and the smoking wreckage where she knew the COMP broadcast had come from first.

so sorry for late, wasn't sure who was up next!

[trainwrecking]

The heavily-wounded fire beast looms over the wreckage, hardly expecting to see more people arriving at the scene.

Before it has a chance to summon an attack, Zearth's Zionga crashes into the side of the demon, shuffling it nearly off-balance. Ragged from battle, full of debris, bullets, and weakened by Aoi's Persona already, its counterattack speed is abysmal -- but that doesn't stop the demon from sending a flame barrage at Zearth and its "pilot," if you will.

The beast must be on its last legs, but that also means that it has nothing to lose.

Meanwhile, Otonashi stands towards the back with Aoi, the two of them shying away from the scene for now. They have some... matters to discuss privately before they leave this awful mess behind them.

I vote we tag when we can because I have a really weird schedule

[echo_of_a_jedi]

Meetra senses the other people moving toward the wreckage, and sees quite clearly that this other Persona-user had the enemy's attention. That meant it was time to finish it.

"Persona!"

She focuses her mind on her new Persona and summons a large but weirdly cutesy robot, which delivers a powerful one-two punch to the face of the demon. Hopefully that's enough to put it down and protect the rest of the people here.

Works for me.

[icanhearscreams]

Ushiro takes the attack, gritting his teeth. Pain doesn't matter. Feelings don't matter right now either. Still, he'll feel that later.

Right now though it's time to finish this. The giant mech shoots forward once again to deliver a Zionga, the single light in its mask shining steadily.

"Again!"

[echo_of_a_jedi]

((Want to just say we got it?))

[trainwrecking]

((That's fair I think, Dani has to hiatus and I hate to continue skipping her/not involving her in a plot that she's a part of. I'm sure she'd let us handwave Aoi but I'd feel kinda bad about that, aha... ;A; I'm so sorry for the timing on this..! You both are fantastic though and I'd love to more with you ♥ ))

[icanhearscreams]

[[Works for me. /o/ Feel free to have Meetra talk to him or just head off if you prefer.]]

After the monster's taken care of

[halberdaxe]

Noda was also someone whom you would not consider a hero. He only acted based off of his own feelings and was inconsiderate...most of the time. But after seeing that network post, despite how he responded to it, he was genuinely worried about the safety.

It took a little too long for Noda to arrive at the scene, for the monster was already dealt with by the time he got there. All he could do was stand in his spot, staring at the wreckage before him as he felt what the end of the video implied sink into his head.

Did... Did that stupid wuss die for real? No, no that can't be right. With how badly the building collapsed and how the video showed the redhead inside... A cold chill went down his back.

Wasn't he sprouting nonsense about Aoi? Where was she? Was she also somewhere buried beneath the wreckage?

"Tch...!" Without a moment to lose, Noda started climbing into the remains of the building, starting to move the debris out of the way, part of his mind hoping that he wouldn't find either of the two. They can't die, he didn't allow this!

[trainwrecking]

Naturally, the hospital is his next destination. Part of it, of course, is to dispel suspicion, but another piece of it is legitimate health concerns and the lingering cough. Smoke inhalation will do that.

When he catches Noda out of the corner of his eye, he swallows harshly, audibly, until summoning the strength to call out.

It's raspy and hoarse, but the sentiment remains.

"N-No--" Cough. "Noda!"

[halberdaxe]

Noda abruptly stopped trying to dig his way in when he heard that irritating but the familiar voice behind him. He whirled around, a hint of fear appearing in his expression before swiftly returning to his usual glare as he growled under his breath, and stomped his way back out into the streets.

"YOU!!" He yelled, pointing his finger at the redhead as he approached, "Did you even attempt to contact the other members before it was too late?!"

What a hypocrite, for a loner like Noda to be speaking of such things.

He then took a moment to realize the other person he was concerned of hadn't been seen yet.

"...Where is that woman? Is she safe?" By 'that woman,' he totally meant Aoi.

[eyewillprotect]

"That woman?"

Aoi's voice is similarly rough, and she seems to be in pain as well. One hand is held over her right eye as she walks, and she seems to be using her naginata as a sort of cane to keep herself upright.

"Contact...? Yuzuru, did you...?"

She doesn't quite get the entire sentence out, her words dissolving into a small flurry of coughs. Otonashi had the advantage of having been completely healed by her power; at this point, she's inhaled far more than he.

[trainwrecking]

"W-what was I supposed to...?" Supposed to do? The implication hangs heavy even without the spoken words. He turns aside to cough into his arm, concealing it as though he's contagious. It's a reflexive behavior, but an unnecessary one.

"She needs to--to be taken to a hospital." He has no time for banter. Not now. If Noda's anger emerges as a result of this, so be it. "Smoke inhalation..."

He plans to go too, of course, but Noda would be a better escort considering her more dire condition.

"Can you... can you take--" Again with the coughing, though this time he pinches his eyes closed. "--t-take her, Noda?"

[halberdaxe]

As Aoi came into the scene, Noda turned his attention over to her, shoulders relaxing a bit from relief of actually seeing her alive and well. When he hears Otonashi's request, he turns back to the redhead.

"You are not any better yourself." Which meant he was totally going to make you come along too.

[eyewillprotect]

"Yuzuru needs to--" Coughing. Her lungs feel raw... "--He needs to go too."

Even though she can hardly stand, she manages to sound firm on this point. He was the one who had died - although she won't say that aloud. Her concern for him is greater than her own state.