Event || The Answer

[melodiesmods]

Characters: All characters who signed-up for the event.
Where: South Continent of Balance (Imperial Territories)
When: April 20th to April 30th.
Summary: The Heroes of Light have lost consciousness and now find themselves in the middle of nowhere, without their Moogles and away from everything they know. They will have to get back home, but what awaits them on the path? For more information, please check the First OOC Post and Second OOC Post.
Warning: Bad things.

Group 01: Team Hijinks House
Group 02: Team Brigands
Group 03: Team Discovery Channel
Group 04: Sephiroth's (In)Sanity Squad
Group 05: Team (Bad) Shipping Advice
Group 06: Team Blue-Haired Lords on Fire
Group 07: Team Mom and Late Sleepers
Group 08: Nothing Bad Will Happen
Group 09: The Hellhounds
Group 10: Loftwings, A Working Title
Group 11: Team Oni
Group 12: Team F.N.T.I²
Group 13: Team Name-In-Progress
Group 14: Team The-Mods-Couldn’t-Brain-A-Name
Group 15: Seraphim Shenanigans

Comments

[damn_juicebox]

[Rukia holds his hand tightly, providing her quiet emotional support as they begin their journey. Much as she would like to converse with the child to keep his mind from stewing too deeply on his worries, the peculiar circumstances insist that they keep their senses alert. There does seem to be something strange going on, but it's not something she can easily identify.]

[Once they arrive at the river, Rukia nods with a glance at Yuri.]

The soil should be soft here. Let me see if I can find any tracks.

[She releases her temporary ward's hand, turning to face him.]

I'm Rukia, what's your name? Do you like chocobos?

[answernpcs]

[The boy reluctantly let go of her hand and kept his own hand in the air as if expecting it to come back.]

I'm Gatta.

[He balled his hand into a fist and stuffed it into his pocket while looking at the ground. There was a pause while Gatta carefully thought about his answer.]

...Yeah. [He nodded and spoke softly.]

[damn_juicebox]

Pleased to meet you.

[Rukia bows her head, and her smile widens as she holds up a finger.]

Would you like to meet a green chocobo? Her name is Yuki. You may even sit on her back, if you like, and if there's ever any danger, she'll protect you and keep you safe.

[dammit_yuri]

Someone was here recently.

[Flynn kneels down, also observing the ground as he's talking with the others while Rukia was keeping the child occupied.]

These prints are small and light, most likely a woman's.

[blackmoonreaper]

[Ichigo spares Rukia and the kid a brief glance before watching Flynn. He's never really tracked anyone in the wild before so he's grateful for the other's skill. The sooner they can find this kid's mother the better.]

Which way are they going?

[dammit_flynn]

I'm assuming we follow those until we reach a goal or something else.

[ Yuri pointed towards the direction of the footprints that Flynn found. Of course, he takes it on him as usual to stray a few good feet away from the rest of his house mates. Yuri was being cautious but he can't put them all in too much danger as they were moving in a large and obvious group as is.

He doesn't comment any further for the child though, just glancing at him every so often. ]

[answernpcs]

No, I never met a green one...

[The child's worries were replaced by curiosity. As Ichigo, Yuri, and the others followed the prints, the boy's voice was lost in the trees.

A few minutes down the river, the dainty footprints were joined by much larger ones, spaced out so widely that whatever created them had to be running. The smaller prints grew lighter and farther apart until they stopped.

The reason for that was several feet ahead of them. Lying on the muddied banks was the bloody body of a woman with long, pink hair.]

[damn_juicebox]

[GOOD THING THE KID ISN'T THERE TO SEE IT! But neither is Rukia, so she's still having a good time boasting about her dearest bird friend.]

They're extraordinarily rare! She started out as a white chocobo, but after receiving the Fat Chocobo's blessing, she turned green, and now she's able to cross steep mountains. I shall now call her for you.

[Rukia gestures grandly, summoning her prissy chocobo who arrives, blinking sleepily.]

Kweeeeh?

[Rukia folds her arms proudly as the bird cocks its head to examine Rukia's young charge.]

Behold!

[dammit_yuri]

[Flynn's eyes widened as he took in this visual information, quickly running to the body and turning it over, hoping it wasn't who he thought it looked like.]

Yuri, do we have any medicinal supplies?

[Flynn put his finger on the woman's wrist, attempting to ascertain whether or not she had a pulse and also listened intently to see if she still had breath.]

[boomchucka]

[The moment Selphie heard Flynn calling for medical supplies, she was rushing toward the front of the group. If the perky brunette was being realistic, the situation was far from pretty as her eyes widened at the display. She kneeled beside the body in the mud and starting casting Cure to help bring the woman around.]

Try not to move her too much, Flynn. We could make any injuries she has worse and longer to heal up.

[Selphie looked back at Rukia and Yuri with a grave look on her face. It was far different from her usual demeanor and should've been enough indication that things weren't pretty.]

Keep the kid back.

Please be okay... please be okay...

[Her hands may have been shaking a little bit as she continued her quiet mantra. No one deserved to be without their parents. To Selphie, there were enough orphans in the world already so it was far too soon to be adding more to the collection.]

[answernpcs]

[When the group came closer to the woman, they could see her face more clearly. Her entire body was bloody and still, and there were deep gashes in her torso. However, when Flynn checked for a pulse, he found that there was a faint one, but it was fading away quickly.]

[dammit_flynn]

Yeah I'm working on it!

[ He quickly unpakcs the bag from the chocobo as he rushed over to Flynn as he watched for her pulse. Of course, the two of them were rather used to this sort of thing. It's not uncommon for them to come across the injured.

Eventually he makes it to Flynn and he hands him the medical kit he put together. ]

Put her on her back. I'll get the antiseptics, put this there to stop the bleeding. Selphie, you think you can use some healing magic on her? We got to act quick.

[ The pink hair was a throw off for him in general but he hadn't looked at her face too closely yet. Yuri was more focused on getting things together and fixed rather than his usually sarcastic self. Even when he spoke to Selphie, he didn't use her nickname this time. Instead, he used her actual name. Something Yuri didn't usually do unless he was serious. ]

[boomchucka]

I'm on it, Yuri!

[Selphie's concentrating on keeping the healing magic going. She trusts the others to keep the kid out of the way and keep trying to patch up the external wounds as she hyper-focused on casting volley after volley of Cure.]

C'mon Lady, nobody's dying today!

[dammit_yuri]

[Flynn takes some of the dressing and applies pressure to the worst of the gashes quickly but steadily. He's dealt with emergency missions before, and if others were freaking out, it was his responsibility to keep it together. He couldn't expect anyone else to keep it under control in this situation.]

Can you hear us? What is your name?

[His tone was terse as he tried to gently place the woman on her back and held her head in his lap. The others had arrived, so hopefully their magic could stop the worst of the bleeding. The trick was to make sure this woman held onto consciousness.]

[answernpcs]

[The woman didn't answer nor react when Flynn moved her or spoke to her. Her breathing was growing shallower and shallower. There was a shockingly large amount of blood on her front, something that mere bandages wouldn't fix.

Her heart would soon stop, and she was on the verge of death.]

[blackmoonreaper]

[Blood isn't something that bothers Ichigo, he's no stranger to it, but as soon as he caught sight of the body his knee-jerk reaction was to rush forward with the others but he stopped short when he got a proper look. His face is pale at the condition of the woman--the boy's mother. Something about the way she's on the ground in a bloody heap strikes a little too close to home. Some monster had gotten to her while the boy was chasing after something.]

[He needs to help her, try to save her like the others but he can't get his feet to move.]

[dammit_flynn]

[ Yuri's face twisted also into something short of shock when he was laying her down and giving her medical treatment while Flynn and Selphie were making attempts to help. Rukia was probably still taking care of the boy. Her facial appearance, was almost exactly identical to Estelle, if she was a few years older. Pink hair and light green eyes.

He stopped moving for a few seconds, but then forced himself to focus as he tried not to sound like he was caught off by the appearance of the woman. He continued to keep trying. ]

Damn it, stick with us alright? Don't give up

[ The Swordsman's face turned over to Ichigo after he had calmed himself but something about Ichigo frozen in place clicked with Yuri as well, but now really isn't the time. He understood that something here triggered Ichigo to freeze up. ]

Yo, Grumpy!!

[ He shouted loud enough for Ichigo to hear if not louder than his usual tone. ]

Get it together!

[boomchucka]

Now's not the time to panic!

[Selphie's hands faltered when Flynn had turned their victim over. The wounds were deep and Selphie knew that they were beyond what she was capable of but she wasn't about to stop. Her hands were visibly shaking from exertion at that point as she kept thinking, just a little bit more.

She shoots the two swordsmen a desperate look, losing confidence in her own abilities. The fact that the two of them were freezing up was enough to concern Selphie about Ichigo and Yuri's well-being over her own. She could feel the exhaustion creeping in from her toes and steadily working its way upstream.

Her tone of voice is tinged with panic. She's never watched another person die before.]

C'mon lady... what about your son? Do you want him to be all alone?!

[Please don't let him be alone...]

[answernpcs]

[There was too much blood. Gauze did little to stop the bleeding, but just as it appeared she drew here final breath, Selphie's healing spell washed over her. The woman's eyes slowly opened, revealing milky white irises and pupils.

Her first instinct was to gasp for air and grab the arm of the nearest person, which happened to be Yuri. Upon feeling his warm skin, she relaxed.]

Dear...? [Her voice was shaking, but the faint smile on her lips revealed there was a sense of calm within her.]

[blackmoonreaper]

[The shouts jolt him out of his initial shock and he swallows thickly before forcing himself to move. The three of them are doing their damnedest to save the woman and here he was like a deer in the headlights. Despite how pale he looks he does give the immediate area a wary once-over for any monsters that could still be nearby. The last thing the woman needs is for her attacker to come back but when it looks like the coast is clear he kneels down by her with the others.]

[When she opens her eyes Ichigo stares at her face for a moment before forcing himself to look at the wounds they are working to close. It doesn't look good at all.]

Is the...

[Focus, dumbass! He takes note from Flynn's attempts to put some pressure on the wounds and lends a hand at that. It's nearly all he can do and he tries his hardest not to think about how futile it might be.]

Keep at it, Selphie.

[answernpcs]

Eh? [She let out a small, breathy noise when she heard Ichigo's voice. Her head turned towards his direction, searching for the source while being unable to see.]

Gatta...? Is that you, sweetie? [The woman attempted to give him a comforting smile, though the tears forming in her eyes betrayed a fear behind them. She coughed, little specks of blood flying out of her mouth.] I'm...I'm glad I got to see you two one last time...

[No matter how much Selphie poured her energy into her Cure spell, it wasn't closing her wounds. Her grip on Yuri tightened, and her other hand beckoned for Ichigo to come closer.]

Don't cry, my love...and please...live on without me. Survive, and hold onto the hope...that someone will finally come to rescue us from this dying world...

[Her breathing grew heavier and slower.]

[dammit_flynn]

[ Yuri gave the woman a surprised look and froze in his tracks for a moment when she grabbed his hand. That feeling of someone's warmth leaving their body was pretty obvious even for someone like Yuri and he could only return the favor by squeezing her quickly. It was too late. No matter what they did at this point, she was going to die and that was the end of it.

He didn't even know how to process that. There was yet another person that he couldn't save-- another person he couldn't protect just like Lambert and just like Niren. His brows knitted together in frustration but he kept going. He had to. There was no reason to stop now even if it was futile. She was mistaking him for someone else. He wasn't sure how to handle that but he kept working with his free hand bandaging and trying to stop the bleeding. ]

Lady we're not done yet. Don't give up!

[ He shouted back, losing some of his composure. ] You just have to fight it. Your kid's waiting for you. Don't you dare give up now.

[ At this point he wasn't sure anymore. Yuri wasn't sure of anything. There were too many triggers, and too many memories overflowing in his mind as he worked and worked. ]

[dammit_yuri]

[The least Flynn could do was steady her body so that she wouldn't bleed out from the movement. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't know what to do. He wasn't a medic, and even though he fought on the front lines he had yet to see a civilian face to face in the throes of the edge between life and death. It was all he could do to not scream, given that everyone else was already worked up.]

MY HEART CAN'T TAKE THIS GUYS T^T

[boomchucka]

[Amidst all the discord and chaos that was surrounding their group, Selphie was doing her best to concentrate on keeping her limited magic abilities going. Again, her hands faltered, the Cure spell giving out as she stares at the woman whose life is fading away.]

G-guys... I can't keep going...

[She's exhausted and feeling the drain as she puts her hands on her knees to keep from slumping. There were tears standing in her eyes, a mix of frustration and despair as she knelt in the mud powerless to save an innocent life. Another life to add to the tally of people she could save thanks to her own powerlessness. Her head hangs in shame, bangs shading her eyes from the others.]

[She mutters:] Why does it have to end like this again?

Stay determined!

[blackmoonreaper]

[It isn't fair. It isn't fair, damnit! That kid is likely still thinking that his mother will be okay after she's patched up and here they all are... watching her die.]

[The hand that's hopelessly keeping pressure on one of her wounds pulls away before Ichigo grabs her free hand, focusing his gaze back on her unseeing eyes no matter how much it hurts to see her face. He isn't her child, he isn't Gatta and he knows but he doesn't want her to feel like she's going to die on her own.]

What did this to you?!

[If he couldn't save the boy from his suffering, if he couldn't save her then the least he could do was avenge her soul. It won't fix everything but at least whatever monster got her would pay for its crime. It won't get away with this.]