音無 結弦 || ᴏᴛᴏɴᴀsʜɪ, ʏᴜᴢᴜʀᴜ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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destinystrings2013-09-09 08:01 am
trainwrecking) wrote in destinystrings2013-09-09 08:01 am
Entry tags:
despite what you give, it's just never enough. (closed)
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!"
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!"
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"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.
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"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.
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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...
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"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.
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Finally managing to push himself upright, he winces as embers trickle down from the roof, singing his clothes and skin. On one side, there are flames pushing inward from cracks in the wall, and on the other is nothing but rubble from upstairs.
He coughs again, sounding more ragged. Up until he heads pushes against the door, he manages to stay relatively calm -- perhaps only as a part of his daze.
When he realizes it won't move, he feels his stomach turn. Trying for the doorknob predictably sears his hand, burning and blistering the skin enough to make him cry out. Standing at all seems like this great feat, one that may prove itself impossible to maintain.
But he can hear the fire beast outside, its pained howling reaching him even from here. Enraged at this new threat from Aoi, it charges her, all too eager to start doubling up on fire and blunt force. Teeth bared, it gnashes at the girl, fire trickling through its teeth. Discolored blood from both her assault and earlier bullet wounds pour from it, but it seems shockingly unfazed.
He can hear the fight. He knows, and cannot help but try to break free despite the blaze beginning to tease at his skin and warp the flesh it contacted, forcibly cauterizing his bleeding injuries.
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"Siddhartha!" Her normally soft voice has a slight rasp to it now, but she pays it no mind. As the Persona appears before her, she stretches out one arm, wincing only slightly from the pain of the movement.
"Right action!"
Even as the monster charges her, the Almighty power of her Persona's attack slams into it.
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It's a completely vain effort. Though he briefly considers trying to push through that point of entry in the wall, he can hear the structure creaking and crumbling just outside of it.
The sound of the groaning home pales in comparison to the bellowing of the flame beast.
In time with Aoi's attack, it slams a heavy paw down, creating a small shockwave to knock her off her feet--or better yet, hit her directly. Due to the Persona's attack, however, the monster stumbles, its eyes as alight with eerily quiet rage: such a disjoint from its animalistic screeching and roaring.
It finally speaks, its voice booming and garbled.
"There are many more of me, but so, so few of you... Useless, tiny, fragile maggots."
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"That... may be the case," she concedes. "But I will never let you win... I will not stand by while you senselessly hurt these people-!"
She raises her hand once again, directing her Persona to attack with yet another Right Action. She needs to finish this, and quickly - her eyes go from the demon to the door, no doubt the proper entrance to the room Otonashi landed in. But over the creaking of the building, not to mention the crackle of the flames around her, she can't quite make out the sounds of his attempted escape, and that only causes her to worry all the more.
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He's just as helpless as ever, he thinks, until he looks to the COMP watch on his wrist.
Otonashi may hesitate on many things, but using what little resource he has to save someone else's life isn't-- has never been-- one of them.
"A-Aoi..."
Satisfied with its overall successful assault, the creature begins circling her, practically relishing in the flames dancing and fluttering around them. Baring its teeth again, it snaps for her weapon, though not before her Persona's attack slams into it again.
Weakened but far from vanquished, it summons fire from its mouth again, striking either her or the support beam behind her if not stopped. Again, it lunges for her naginata, intent on rendering it useless as a weapon or even the support she's been using it for.
"What makes you think it is so senseless? Ahhhh..."
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She ignores the pains all over her body, giving a slight nod to her Persona - as an extension of her mind, of course he would know exactly what to do. Wordlessly, he raises his hand to repeat the same attack once again: Right Action. And as he does that...
Aoi begins making a run for the doorway, the marks glowing on her skin as she augments her natural abilities with the extra strength and speed granted by the Dragon Stream. It's difficult, trying to focus on everything at once, but somehow or another she manages to gather enough focus to tear the door from its hinges.
"Yuzuru-! Are you there-?!"
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He can barely hear the structure creaking above the flames now. Acceptance has replaced terror. Otonashi knows his fate; better yet, he's resigned to it. When the walls and ceiling shake and begin to cave, he looks up helplessly.
There's no more point in trying to squirm free of the burning debris pinning him down. Vaguely, he can hear the door being ripped from the hinges, finally sealing his fate. Whether Aoi or the beast is responsible, he can't discern. The act unbalances the doorway and the closet crumbles in on itself, leaving nothing for her to walk into but ash and debris.
The beast, having nothing to speak with any longer, evades the Right Action and counters with another barrage of flame, at the very least lighting up a dresser off in the distance if not disorienting the Persona directly.
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Through the haggard coughing due to the ash clogging the air, she ceases focus on her Persona completely, allowing him to fade as she drags the debris up with her telekinesis, moving aside to hurl it out the door and directly at the demon. But her aim here isn't to hurt, really - just to keep it occupied while she clears the area. It's possible he could have survived... Isn't it?
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Snapping through the debris with tooth and nail indeed occupies the thing, though only a temporary solution.
Chunks of ceiling, masses of wall and chips of paint and door clear aside to reveal a motionless form, indistinguishable if not for the smell of burning flesh, the characteristic red hair now darkened with soot, and the brief breaks of unmarred flesh in the mix.
The damaged watch on his wrist acts as further testament. Yes, it's him--
-- or at least it was, just moments before.
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She was too late, wasn't she?
Once again, she was unable to protect her friend.
She hardly notices the flames around her, or the monster somewhere behind. Instead, she just reaches for Otonashi, taking his hand tightly in her own. It isn't the first time she's seen someone die, nor will it likely be the last, but it hurts. Seeing his body burned and broken like this. Knowing that she couldn't prevent it. That no matter how much power she has, she could not save him.
She remembers the words of Ryuuzan, and her duty to bear her fate, to use her power responsibly. But her heart aches, and it is always when she is at her most emotional that her power manifests.
"Please." Her voice is a soft, shaky whisper as she folds both of her hands over his. "Please, live."
The effect is rather understated. There is no shining light, no glowing marks, no indication of the great power that has just passed. But suddenly, the damaged and beaten body heals entirely, the organs begin to function, the heart begins to beat.
The power of the Bodhisattva Eye has appeared once again in this world.
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But this is the first time he has come back from the brink of darkness as a mortal instead of just a transient soul.
Opening his eyes again feels at first like a struggle, one marked by fluttering lashes and squinted burgundy eyes. He can feel someone's hands on his, and when he concentrates he can smell fire --
-- that's it. His eyes snap open, wide and wild with terror and disbelief and worry.
"What is...? Aoi? I-- How..?!"
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"Yuzuru-!"
Even though her eye is already beginning to feel irritated, she can't help but give a weak smile of sheer relief. It occurs to her that she will have to explain this (it isn't like the first time, when the poor girl hardly knew her and was not even conscious after her resurrection) but for now, she can only feel grateful that she has been blessed with this power.
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"Ah..." is all he can manage before trying to push himself off the ground, his arms quivering. Not from weakness, no, the trembling originates only from his own fear and confusion.
Now is not the time to linger, however. Though unsteadily, he manages to get up onto his knees, then onto his wavering legs. He imagines that this is what an infant learning to walk must feel like, with their legs brand new and confusing, and this new task that people called "walking" this impossible, faraway feat.
Of course, he notices her pressing a hand to her eye as if in pain.
"... A-are you well enough to get out of here?"
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She's unhappy that in the end, they were not able to drive the demon from the house quickly enough. But she also recognizes that they must withdraw now if they are to have any chance of surviving.
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"That thing, is it still--?"
It's fitting. The beast looms over them, fire trickling from between its teeth, threatening to pour out again. Cold fear drains the color from Otonashi's face, and without another flit of hesitation, he grabs one of Aoi's hands to rush them away from the leering beast. She will understand, he thinks.
Why, though, does his body function so well? Minus the wobbling in his legs and his weak grip, he seems fine. His cough is rapidly returning the longer that they stay, but compared to that awful searing and his own flesh burning and transforming before his very eyes --
-- No. No, he can't consider that. Not now.
What he's forced to consider, however, is the slow crumbling towards the front of the house and the flames pouring from the doorway to the outside. That entrance may be too risky to use again.
"Damn it..."
"So very fragile..."
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"...I can hold it up." She sounds somewhat distracted, her attention split between her eye and the brief mental calculations. She's fairly certain that if it's just for a moment, her telekinesis will be enough to get them out of there - but it will be close.
"We'll make it. Keep running!"
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Right, until the behemoth whirls back around and pounds a heavy paw to the ground, sending a shockwave sizable enough to crumble it and stagger both of them. The burning doorframe collapses, the front of the house beginning to follow.
That can't be. It just can't, it was right there--
The back entrance. That door looked skewed, but Otonashi recalls seeing it peripherally during that initial standoff with the monster. Back when things looked more hopeful, he thinks, but wasting time to wallow now will only seal their fate. Saying nothing at first, he steers them in the other direction and shoves Aoi forward -- carefully, calculated enough to press her shoulders and not her back where the soot stains from the support beam still clung.
"Go! I'm right behind you!" Otonashi calls, cut off by a raspy cough. He stays behind her as promised, keeping an eye on the crumbling house and the creature still following them. "Focus on the door!"
Break it off if you have to. Please hurry...
In the meantime, the redhead digs through what remains of his singed clothing, finally coming up with his small pocket knife. Going back for the gun would be a fool's errand, he knows, and if this is all he has left to defend them both with for now, so be it.
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It's not until she's neared the door that she stops, planting her feet. She needs to cut some of the distractions, and this is unfortunately the only way how. "Keep running! I'll be right after you!"
She reaches both arms out, using them as a method of focus. It takes slightly longer than before, but the blue glow returns and the door is forcefully pushed open, snapping only one hinge in the process.
Now she just needs to escape the beast...
maaaybe this is the last tl;dr I'll be contributing for this, h-ha I'm sorry
Otonashi doesn't turn when he hears the hinge straining and the door swinging open. His focus remains on the creature still closing in, still threatening to end both of them.
The longer they stayed, the easier this goal would become to accomplish.
It's when the creature moves to swipe again, this time at Aoi, that Otonashi finally moves in. No amount of fire, crumbling, nor the beast's howls can deter him as he plunges that small knife into the side of the creature's head.
He's sure that he can feel a burning, another searing at his eye. He moves his hand to stop it, only for that pain to manifest there as well.
Burning. Fire. Debris. Of course that monster is retaliating, the flames pouring from its mouth, the ceiling crumbling and flecking at Otonashi's bare back in the throes of the collapse.
He pulls away, abandoning the pocket knife, stumbling into a soot-stained curtain hanging in an empty bedroom doorway and latching onto it for support. It tears, almost causing him to fall, but thankfully--mercifully--adrenaline and, frankly, luck, keeps him steady. With one rough beating of the curtain, he tangles himself in it and rushes back for Aoi while the creature occupies itself with digging out that knife. Decency and coverage wasn't necessarily on his radar, but since it's an unintentional aside, he takes it.
This is it.
"Not without you. Come on," he finally answers, raspy and quiet.
Steadfast, he clutches her hand in his good one and rushes to the door, not intent on stopping until he can feel the cool breeze of the autumn night again.
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It's just as well; had she been even slightly healthier at the moment, she may have just run after him herself to join in the assault. As it is, she remains in place, once again forced to use her spear as a support up until Otonashi comes running and grabs her hand. She stumbles slightly as she begins running again, out into the cool of the open air, still smelling of smoke and soot but to nowhere near the levels of the building from whence they came.
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