melodiesoflife | Event || The Enemy Within

The male turned his head towards the sound of someone's voice sounding much more serious than he had remembered it. Somehow he couldn't place his finger on it but she seemed different. Yuri pulled himself to his feet as he heard her words, his sword held in his hand. It was his sword that he had always had not the ones that were given to him by the job classes. This felt like home. He wasn't afraid to draw his sword.

However, he didn't make any move to draw the weapon just yet. He stared at her with his eyes fixed on her. The sound of her tone told him she was extremely serious and wasn't playing around. The other hand, he didn't think he wanted to take her too seriously.

"What kind of greeting is that, Shorty?" he mused, a smile played on his lips. He was as carefree as ever, "Why don't you sit down and we'll have a chat."

The statement was more of a demand than a request.

Rukia didn't return his smile, but she didn't yet draw her sword. Her gaze was as cold as the landscape around them, and just as devoid of life.

"You've been spying on us," she accused, her voice harsh. "I'm aware of what you've done, and what you've heard. Once it's discovered that you were the one responsible for the failed strike on Mysidia, you will be hunted, and you will be destroyed as one of the necessary sacrifices to end the Calamity."

She stared at him dispassionately for only a second before her grip on the handle of her zanpakutou tightened. "As we were once friends, I will grant you your death by my own blade. I would not have you impaled by one who kills simply for the craving of blood."

Her blade slid smoothly out of the sheath as she shifted her stance, her sandaled feet positioned widely apart.

"Mai, Sode no Shirayuki."

Her sword glowed with a pale light, and the form changed. From the tip of the blade to the end of the long silk ribbon that unfurled from the hilt, her sword was as white as snow. Even the guard had changed, taking on a shape similar to a snowflake.

She was definitely serious.

"That's one huge accusation, Shorty," Yuri replied keeping himself grounded. She had no actual proof that he was spying on them, much less that he gathered the information to ruin them. Even then, Yuri wouldn't dismiss the accusation. It was only a matter of time, honestly. It's not the first time his life had been on the line for his job.

"Is that so?" he replied, shifting himself to the sheath of his sword, and Repede slowly got up from the ground, eyeing Rukia as if telling her it wasn't a good idea for either of them to clash blades right now. Yuri's expression remained unreadable as she continued to speak to him.

"That's not news to me. I'm not exactly anyone's Hero. You already know that, and what you've done, that can't be dismissed. I respect what you want to do but you've gone way too far," he mused again. Yes, she was serious and he could tell there was no joking tone about it. He didn't have to result to this but Rukia was someone he cared about. It was for that reason he had to ensure that things like this would not pull through. Rukia's side wasn't the only ones that suffered.

The other side probably faced a lot of discomfort too. However, Yuri was good at keeping a low profile, and only those close to him would be able to pick up what he's been doing. There's a whistle from his mouth as she drew her blade with a long silk ribbon. Ah, so this was what a Shinigami was. Unfortunately, he wasn't prepared to die just yet.

"You don't want to do this..." he paused momentarily, "Rukia."

It was the first time since they've known each that Yuri had used her name. The words came from his mouth clearly, strongly. He didn't want to have to result in killing someone he cared about, but if she didn't back down, he was going to take her down, and if it meant him along with her, he'd do it.

Rukia didn't argue in favor of her cause, because he was right. All of them had gone too far. They were desperate, and there just weren't any other solutions available for them. If no one was going to volunteer, then the choice had to be made for them. If they didn't, everyone would die. Practically speaking, it made sense.

But that didn't make her feel any less sick inside to know that not only was an undeserving person being killed for the sake of the rest of them, but every other living being on their world as well. It was too much. Necessary as it might be, it didn't stop her from hating herself. But this was the path she'd chosen. She was committed to walk it...or to die trying.

He spoke her name, but she didn't so much as flinch. She merely waited for him to draw his sword. Rukia didn't think he knew about her deadly capabilities as a shinigami...he wouldn't be able to touch her with physical attacks, and if she employed the Flash Step like her brother did, she could appear behind him with two fatal stabs in half a second. But as he'd soon find out, killing him was not her true purpose. She faced against him wearing the robes, but still inhabiting her physical body.

Yuri had five seconds left to draw his sword. She would not wait forever. At the end of that window of time, her grip on the katana shifted, and she darted straight at him without a single sound.

There weren't but patience wasn't anyone's friend right now. The longer they were idle, the faster the Calamity would spread. Of course, Yuri understood that and it wasn't just this world or his at stake. It was every world that was known to every individual that was around. He couldn't blame them for feeling the need to take actions as they should. However, when innocent people are involved or others were sacrificed for that reasoning, he couldn't idly stand by.

He wasn't the type to be a hero and he had villianous qualities. Yuri however, didn't want to be on either side since they were all about the same with their outrageous thinking. He'd have to cleave them if they thought that some of these ideas were okay. Yuri was something of an executioner, stopping those that did wrong when he could. He had his own justice and he wasn't saying that it was skewed in it its own way. Even as skewed as he was, there was nothing more screwed up than watching people get sacrificed for a war or a fight that was meaningless.

No outcome was going to come out of it and while Rukia waited, he slowly eyed her and then Repede. He then sighed, "I'll respect your answer then."

Without warning, she came at him and his sword was flicked out to parry hers in a matter of seconds. Rukia wasn't fighting seriously, because he knew she could kill him if she so wished. However, she was after something else, "Support the rear, Repede," he used as the dog got into his combat mode as well.

Rukia didn't spare Repede so much as a fraction of a glance, her glazed eyes fixed solely on Yuri's face. A quiet rumble rippled through the heavy clouds overhead, a distant and rare threat of rain. Seeing that he was only parrying her blows, she pushed at him, lashing out with fierce and brutal strikes. Any one of them would have been a lethal blow, if not for the extra fragmented seconds it took to swing her sword with that much force. It was almost as if he were fighting an angry novice, as she took no means of defense. In fact, if he were to strike back, he'd find that she took no pains to dodge. Her sword might swat at his to redirect the blow, but her feet remained firmly rooted upon the ground.

Yuri was no idiot; all the signs were right there in front of him. The lack of defense, the subtle goading meant to lure him into retaliating lethally, the fact that she aimed more for his sword than his body...

Rukia wanted to lose this fight. She was practically screaming at him to impale her through the heart and end the struggle permanently. Even the expression she wore was that of one who had long since resigned herself to the peace of death's embrace. She wanted to die, and was too cowardly, too committed to her duties, to end it herself.

For some reason Rukia's arm and footwork were sloppy and Yuri caught glance of that from the corner of his eye as she was relentlessly lashing out at him as if she was an angry child. There were no patterns to the assault much less any form of skill in them. As she struck him, he parried and at times, he would push at her until they created distance between them. Repede would only watch the scene until he was needed, understanding that that the battle belonged to Yuri and Rukia right now.

He swung at her again, this time with much more force and in attempts to knock the weapon out of her hand. She wanted to lose this fight. She was fighting sloppily and creating openings for herself so he would take the critical hit, however, Yuri was not that dumb. He wasn't going to grant her that easy of a death as she wished. It was a cowardly act and it only made Yuri slightly pissed off.

"Enough."

This moment, Yuri took a step back and lashed at her with all he had but without killing her. He wasn't playing along with this farce anymore than he had to. This was a pathetic excuse to die and she was showing it way too obviously.

Edited 2016-02-07 22:12 (UTC)

Rukia's gaze shifted to where her sword skittered across the crystallized ground, glittering and pale as it lay still. "You think it is over because my sword is not in my hand? Hmph." Her last two fingers on her right hand curled toward her palm, and she inscribed quick patterns in the air with her remaining fingertips. "You are a fool."

She could see his frustration and impatience beginning to mount. He wasn't taking her seriously anymore, and that could not be tolerated. She focused the core of her spirit, channeling her life energy into her kidou spell.

"Bakudo 33," her voice cut harshly through the air as hot blue flames swirled into the center of her palms. "Pale Fire Crash!"

She launched the blast of fire at Yuri, not pulling any punches. If he continued this stubborn refusal to strike her down, she'd force his hand.

"No, but I'm telling you stop this nonsense. I know what you're trying to do."

He replied, his eyes narrowing at her as she said those words. He didn't expect her to give up easily. He was prepared for that but he wasn't going to let her get away with doing what she pleased either.

"Don't underestimate me just because you packed on a few more years, Shorty," he replied as he moved to brace himself for the attack. The fire singed him as he skidded back some. At least most of it was blocked with his sword, however his hands were slightly charred from the damage.

Yuri seemed to have brushed it off as if it were nothing.

"You're a coward for taking the easy way out and there's no way I'm giving you that satisfaction."

Damn him! If he would just finish the fight, he wouldn't have been burned at all. At least he knew what she was capable of. So long as he held onto his sword, he wasn't entirely convinced of his words, she was sure.

"I'm no different from any other monster out there," she informed him coldly, tracing the runes again. If she had to burn him again, so be it. "And there is no salvation for what I've done, and what I've enabled others to do."

The final kanji was traced into the air before she thrust her palm forward, sending another blast of hot blue fire at her friend.

"If lives must be taken to satisfy the Calamity, then let it have mine. Don't you dare deny me this!"

He was going to finish it but not the way she wanted obviously. Yuri never did well with people trying to manipulate him to do things. Rukia was doing just that. His expression remains neutral as she declared those words to him.

"It's hard to believe you to claim yourself to be a monster. Most folks who are, don't admit to it."

He's obviously not throwing his sword away yet, but he was convinced that she wasn't after his life. If she was, she would have already ended it a while back. Her threats were groundless and this time he was able to move out of the way when she sent the fiery blast his way.

Without warning after the dodged he leaped at her in attempts to knock her over and completely immobilize her.

"Don't be stupid! Your life is just as valuable as anyone's out there. Don't give me this nonsense."

Edited 2016-02-15 01:33 (UTC)

"What would you call it?!" she snapped at him harshly. "Sacrificing victims who aren't even aware of what's happening to them is something only a mon--OOF."

Rukia could be dangerous. Her strikes were lethal, her movements quick. But one thing she was not was large, and in a grapple, she was at a severe disadvantage against Yuri.

She put up a fight, even trying to ram her head into his, but in the end he was the better fighter, leaving her pinned and gasping for breath as the anger and misery roiled painfully inside of her.

For a long moment she didn't say anything, not even meeting his gaze. But slowly, little by little, her muscles relaxed, and she gave up. Rukia closed her eyes with a choked sound in her throat.

"I miss him."

"You're making excuses," he replied when he finally managed to take her down. Yuri was able to take the brunt of her hits when she lashed out at him and being someone who was used to getting beaten around often, he hardly flinched. The injuries however, would definitely take some time to heal, seeing he's sporting injuries all over his body in attempts to apprehend Rukia.

"Stop running away from your responsibilities by trying to die, Rukia."

He narrowed his eyes at her as she finally gave up the struggle with him. His expression was unreadable when she managed to speak again and the words that he heard were painful. He knew partially of why she had behaved the way she did, blinded by her sorrow. He should have been there for her-- much more than he did.

"I'll kill you," he started, "Only if you are beyond saving. Don't run away from your problems."

She didn't look at him as she lay there quietly, her breathing labored. Responsibilities... What responsibilities? She wasn't a Hero, none of them were. Why had they been told such a blatant lie, just to watch them run around filled with blind hope, until it was too late? It was a pointless and pitiful fight that couldn't be changed.

"Then what should I be doing instead? No one knows. Not even you."

She reached up to give his shoulder a light push. There was no need to pin her down any longer, she'd given up her attempts to goad him. He was a stubborn fool, bless his heart.

The longer she was left to her thoughts, the heavier the guilt weighed down on her chest. Why had she done that to him? She of all people knew how much it hurt to kill a friend on her own blade, and here she was, trying to foist that same burden on one of the few people left in this world that she still cared about. "...I'm sorry. That was cruel of me."

She wasn't a hero, but she was responsible for all the things she caused with others. Dying would relieve her of the role she played, and Yuri didn't believe in that unless he had no other choice but to kill her himself. He wasn't allowing anyone to lay a hand on her, whether they had beef with her not. Yuri had been the one to watch her and he was partially at fault for not being able to stop her when she was falling under.

"You atone for it-- for the sacrifices you made with your justice. I'm not here to clean up your messes, Rukia," he replied as he released her quietly after a long moment. Yuri was definitely physically stronger when it was a straight forward confrontation. However, Rukia was fighting him half hearted, so he wasn't going to assume she was like this normally.

Yuri was stubborn for the things he believed in and he knew that Rukia had her own justice. He's not condemning her for it but he wasn't going to let her walk away from what she had done. He sits up as he sheathed his fallen sword in the scuffle.

"Don't be."

He's not sure what else to say to her beyond this, "What were you thinking?" he mused after a moment. He wondered why she didn't talk to him honestly about all of this and why she beat around the bush the last time they spoke. He remembered her casually bringing up these thoughts and then telling him she was only thinking of doing them. He didn't expect her to execute him but then again he should have payed more attention to how fragile she had been and how fragile she was now.

There was no atonement that Rukia could possibly make. There was nothing she could do to make anyone's situation better. If there were, she would have done it a long time ago. But she said nothing, figuring it was better to at least allow him to believe that he was giving good advice and orders.

She rolled onto her side, her knees coming up slightly as she rested her hand on the cold, crystal ground. What was she thinking? Surely he knew the answer to that.

"There are some things that cannot be forgiven...and some things that can never be repaired." Her nails drew lightly over the hard surface. "I could give my life, though. And then I could be with him again. It felt like the only way out." It still felt like the only way out, but it wasn't fair to put that burden on Yuri's shoulders.

She could do many things. One being that she would save those who have fallen onto this path like she had. Other things included doing what she could for people. Death wasn't the only solution and it was frustrating to know that she thought it was the right way to atone for anything. Yuri didn't care whether his advice was good or not. It was merely a statement-- the truth that he believed in. If she truly wanted to save people, she would find her own answer for it.

He was against her throwing her life away in assuming that it would make others happy. He sighed, before resting his hand on her head, petting it if it was like that. Repede had laid down next to her, licking her nose as a sign of concern on his part. They were both worried about what she was doing and they were going to stop her some way-- somehow.

"That's not why I'm saying these things. You might not be forgiven and you might not be treated the same way you were before, but doing what you can for others is more than enough for them to recognize your resolution."

"Don't be ridiculous. He wouldn't want that and you know it."

"Maybe. I can't claim to know one way or the other." She started to close her eyes, but stopped when she saw Repede pad into her limited range of vision, lie down in front of her, and lick her nose. That...was not expected. And then there was Yuri's hand resting on her head.

She didn't think her broken heart would ever truly mend, nor would her regrets ever leave her in full. But it was...good...to know that there were at least two people who still loved her enough to show that they cared. Rukia reached out to quietly pet Repede, brushing her thumbs over his velvety ears before she closed her eyes and exhaled. She'd probably never again be the proud warrior she once was. It was pathetic, wasn't it? Just lying on the ground and moaning about her misery. But for the life of her she really had no idea what else to do.

"Oi...what are you going to do...?"

"You do what you think is the best route to make up for the mistakes, I suppose."

He replied without giving her anymore reprimanding than she got. It was a rough time and his tone definitely softened some when they spoke a little more. The dog was waiting for her to respond to him as he laid there, staring at her with grim eyes.

Everyone had their best and their worst. Yuri wasn't going to judge her for her choices or what she did. He simply didn't want her to lose it and be someone he had to kill. Yuri watched her silently as he his hand was still resting on her head in a gentle manner.

"What I can. I don't have a plan but I'll make it work somehow."

How could she restore life to the dead? It was impossible. And yet...

No, she closed her eyes, stopping the thought before allowing it to bloom fully in her mind. She was a shinigami. It was unnatural for any of them to be restored to life on this world in the first place. She distinctly remembered being disturbed by that fact when she'd first heard about it. But that was before she lost the person she loved.

Even if the thought didn't come to fruition, it had still taken seed in the back of her head, and would soon grow into a desperate sort of hope, wild and unrealistic but better than giving into despair.

"I wish I could believe as you do," she murmured. "Without a plan, I can't move forward. I wouldn't know the first step to even take right now."

Yuri wasn't telling her to bring the dead back to life. That's something he thinks is impossible. There was no point in bringing back what was already dead. Who knows what might happen if they tried to do that. Then again, rules were meant to be broken. If she wasn't going to kill other people in the process, then it was fine with him.

"Huh?"

He turned back to look at her as she murmured to him.

"You don't always need a plan or order to move forward. It's better that way. At least to me. You won't be tied by anything."

He paused a moment as she continued to speak, situating himself back on the ground as Repede was trying his best to divert her sadness. Yuri understood that she had gone through a great deal of mental stress in regards to Raven but he needed her to live and move on so that she wouldn't end up in the same position as Raven.

"Don't think about it too hard. That's usually what keeps you stuck."

"Usually..." she agreed in a quiet voice. "It's the other way around now." Rukia felt too much, and it was painful beyond belief. If she could at least think of something to do, a goal to shoot for, maybe that would let her move on.

But the grief seemed overwhelming. Not even Kaien's death had affected her this badly, and it felt like her heart was irreparably broken. How foolish she was...

Petting Repede did make her feel a little better, though. She'd always liked the big dog, and it was nice to know he cared about her. Yuri cared too, in his own weird way. She was glad he was with her, and that he understood her irrational behavior.

"Yeah, I can tell," the man replied giving her a side eye glance. Maybe that was what she needed but Yuri didn't exactly know what to offer to her in order to make that happen. Something he should have considered that thought when they first started getting along. Maybe then he would have had more insight on what ran in her head.

Yuri could tell that Raven's death was no joke for her. He knew that she like many people, handle grief differently. Yuri couldn't exactly say he was okay with the situation either.

It was natural for him to understand those feelings, seeing that he had always been able to read people to some extent. There's some quiet mulling on his part, before awkwardly putting a hand around her and pulling her to his chest. Never mind the slightly awkward expression he had on his face as he did the act. Repede was rather amused watching him, as he stayed where he was for Rukia to pet him.

As light as she was, it wasn't hard to life and move Rukia, especially when she was caught by surprise. It was like lifting a kitten by the scruff of the neck. Yuri picked her up off of the ground, and before she knew it, he had his arms around her, and her cheek was pressed against his chest.

What...was this...?

Her eyes were wide. She could feel the quiet and gentle beat of his heart, and the reassurance and security of his arms around her as a sign of protection and friendship. This was their own little world. No barriers, no defenses...everything fell apart.

And finally, so too, did Rukia. Her eyes burned. Her throat tightened. Just minutes ago, she'd been goading him to kill her as a last resort to take away the pain that afflicted her. Now he was wiping away the pain in the complete opposite way, by giving her a private sanctuary. She wept like a child. As she did, she turned into his chest, her small fingers gripping the sleeve of his shirt as tight as she could.

He was a lot stronger than her physically. That was about all he had on her. Rukia's Shinigami abilities were definitely beyond his capabilities. He'd never truly win a battle with her unless he died in the process. Supernatural people did have extremely awesome powers. She was skilled, he admitted that much. With that being said, he knew how extremely fragile she was due to what kind of life she lived up to this point.

However, he didn't really say anything on how she was reacting to him when he pulled her against his chest. It didn't seem like he knew what to say to Rukia at this point. He was too embarrassed but these awkward things were what he could do when he knew that his friends truly needed it. It was the least he could offer to her at the moment, seeing how it was hard for him to express things without sounding harsh and blunt about it. He didn't think that he would help Rukia's situation if he continued to talk.

Instead, a gesture like a hug worked better. Of course, he didn't move away from her. He allowed her to cling to him and cry as much as she needed to. Hopefully that could provide her with some sort of closure. His arms were secured around her much more petite form as she continued to cry.

Event || The Enemy Within

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