[He had received the call only minutes after he had returned to Seigi, fresh from a particularly irritating skirmish along the Tibet-China border. Caller ID: Saxon Brand, an anomaly in itself given how infrequently Saxon and his twin brother called. They were usually content with sending identical SMS messages, or blood walking over to see him in person.
Come quick. Engagement outside of South Africa just got fucked up.
Africa, GPS location so-and-so. Nature: joint engagement, Zangyaku and Netsach, spearheaded by the Wolfhearts and dual-licensed Wings of the Dragon. Main blade: Wolf's Choice. Second: War Hounds.
Saxon did not even have the time to finish his sentence before Hikaru was already on the way. He had arrived, just in time, to see Brigade dragging a hysterical Kaz and Brianna away, Taning - cut apart by Paradox - falling to his knees, Josh well on his way to tackling Taning to the ground to avoid yet another shockwave that would surely get them both killed. As for Yulia...
He had not thought about it, not really. There had not been time, never was when it came to something like a Bladian's Rapture. Which led him to the Now.
So here's one Hikaru Shinta sealing yet another one of the cabin's broken windows with his own blood, and pausing to take a drag from his cigarette. Here's one semi-roughed up Hikaru Shinta, and one very heavily injured and very unconscious Yulia Bostova on a cot Hikaru has had to build himself out of the debris and flotsam and jetsam he found in the cabin. There's no signal where they are, even for Vice. He knows that both Netsach and Zangyaku are going to go looking for them as soon as the situation is under control. The question now, of course, is when things are going to get under control.
Perish the thought. He'd rather will the Vitae in him to heal the wound he's inflicting on himself to stop the bleeding of his wrist and hunker down on the floor, right at the foot of the cot. It's good that he had the sense to move in prepared and in full battle regalia, with just enough supplies and cigarettes to last him a day and then some. He normally wouldn't have, if only because he didn't really need it. His companion, on the other hand, was a different story altogether.
Taking a drag now, setting his head back against the side of the mattress, and shutting his eyes for longer than a blink. He's tired, and not entirely stable (Yulia had not been the only one he had to save, even if she had been his first priority if only because he trusted the members of Wolf's Choice to handle themselves and their own without his assistance now), but he's been through worse before. It'll pass eventually.]
[ There are things that Yulia still hasn't let go of. Her fear and anger towards Grendal was one of them. Combine that with the fatigue that came with a long battle-- a very long battle, a battered body, and a very thirsty Singer--things would definitely take a turn for the worse.
It didn't take too long for Anya to gain control of her body. They were falling apart and she didn't want-- never wanted to see her blade die on her again. Especially not after how far they've gone together.
So she let Anya take over. After that, everything was a blur of blades and blood-- death and destruction, and nothing could stop her. Not even herself.
But it ends all too soon. She's sustained too much damage to her own body while fighting. Before her body gave out, before everything went dark, she knew (distinctively remembers) she saw the Blade King himself enter the battlefield.
That was probably hours ago.
Yulia wakes up at the smell of cigarettes and... blood. Hers, she thinks at first, but... no, it didn't feel that way at all. She cracks open an eye and, as she attempts to sit up from wherever she's lying down, whimpers (hisses and squeals, actually) in pain.
Deep cuts, bruises, that's a broken leg, and-- did she dislocate her shoulder sometime during the fight against Grendal? She isn't surprised, but... ]
Who--?
[ Someone patched her up. Brig? Josh? She can't tell from where she was lying down, but someone is at the foot of the (dinky) cot she's on. There isn't enough light for her to make out who it is, and she's still disoriented and distracted from all the aching and pain stabbing throughout her body (stop squirming). It has to be someone she trusts; she wouldn't feel as calm as she is if it isn't. ]
[He heard the shift in her breath a while back, which might explain why he was able to turn and watch Yulia wake up. No words necessary, not until she actually managed to speak.]
Good morning.
[The smile comes automatically, but it isn't as perfect as it should be. Maybe he can work on that a little later. And if she was still too out of it to figure out who was with her, the red rings were a dead giveaway, especially in lighting as bad as this.
[ The hiss that comes out of Yulia was more from the realization that it was Hikaru Shinta that she was with, rather than the stab of pain that shot through her body as she tries to sit up. A tiny part of her fussed at how she must look right now to him. ]
What-- [ no, she could pretty much gather what had happened. She licks her lips just to wet them and resigns herself to lying back down. She probably has a fractured rib. ]
[ When the lanterns light up, Yulia realizes that it's just the two of them in... wherever this was. An abandoned cabin, probably. This worries her more now, especially after Hikaru's reply.
It meant that Wolf's Choice and the War Hounds could still be out there, fighting. She figures it was that; if they had retreated, she and Hikaru would not be holed up here.
She's quiet for a while longer, trying to assess everything, and trying to find the right words to say. Resistant injuries are a bitch to handle when you're trying to think. ]
I owe you my life again, it seems.
[ She wants to ask why he didn't just leave her in the battlefield to die. She does not mind going out that way; she's always figured she would die in a battle, even when she wasn't a Bladian yet.
She doesn't ask him that, just yet. It would be... rude. ]
[And he means it. As things stood, his reasons were neatly divided between selfless and selfish. Ethically, nobody really deserved to die and everybody deserved a chance. On the other hand, it wasn't like he could stand having another person that he knew personally die on his watch.]
[ She wants to tell him, to insist, that yes of course she owes him. She owes him practically everything. Instead, she just sighs. She knows that they're both stubborn enough that if she pushed, they would go nowhere. That's never fun. ]
[ She nods, reminded again of every part of her that refuses to feel anything but pain. There's a lot, but she could pinpoint four parts (other leg, the cut along her arm, her ribs, and a shoulder blade) that refuses to be ignored. She barely even remembers how she got most of her injuries. ]
I will definitely not try that again, if it will always feel like death spat you out of his own mouth. [ A pause. ] No offense.
[ She's confused, at first, and then a little flustered (panicked) after what Hikaru said finally sinks in. ]
You do not have to. [ She wants to tell him that she deserves the shit condition she's in for being careless. She shuts up about it, though. ] But I would like a drink and a smoke.
[And, after sliding a pack and lighter in her direction, he's getting up and heading towards his bag. He always had at least a bottle with him, beyond the usual canister.]
How will I smoke, [ Her good hand, her free hand reaches for the pack. She clumsily manages to slip a stick out and place it between her lips. Then she reaches for the lighter. ] if I do not move?
[ She lights up, takes a long, deep drag, and exhales. That, while actually somewhat detrimental to her health, felt really, really good. ]
[ She's watching him now, in the eerie glow of the lantern lights, so she notices how long he closes his eyes, how they still have those red rings. It makes her frown. ]
[Admittedly, Yulia being down for the count was one of the major things that had him on edge. He couldn't do much about anything else, and - true to his nature - that meant that he hyper-focused on whatever else was left.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Waking the Dead 2.0+ || My Light is in the Shadows
Come quick. Engagement outside of South Africa just got fucked up.
Africa, GPS location so-and-so. Nature: joint engagement, Zangyaku and Netsach, spearheaded by the Wolfhearts and dual-licensed Wings of the Dragon. Main blade: Wolf's Choice. Second: War Hounds.
Saxon did not even have the time to finish his sentence before Hikaru was already on the way. He had arrived, just in time, to see Brigade dragging a hysterical Kaz and Brianna away, Taning - cut apart by Paradox - falling to his knees, Josh well on his way to tackling Taning to the ground to avoid yet another shockwave that would surely get them both killed. As for Yulia...
He had not thought about it, not really. There had not been time, never was when it came to something like a Bladian's Rapture. Which led him to the Now.
So here's one Hikaru Shinta sealing yet another one of the cabin's broken windows with his own blood, and pausing to take a drag from his cigarette. Here's one semi-roughed up Hikaru Shinta, and one very heavily injured and very unconscious Yulia Bostova on a cot Hikaru has had to build himself out of the debris and flotsam and jetsam he found in the cabin. There's no signal where they are, even for Vice. He knows that both Netsach and Zangyaku are going to go looking for them as soon as the situation is under control. The question now, of course, is when things are going to get under control.
Perish the thought. He'd rather will the Vitae in him to heal the wound he's inflicting on himself to stop the bleeding of his wrist and hunker down on the floor, right at the foot of the cot. It's good that he had the sense to move in prepared and in full battle regalia, with just enough supplies and cigarettes to last him a day and then some. He normally wouldn't have, if only because he didn't really need it. His companion, on the other hand, was a different story altogether.
Taking a drag now, setting his head back against the side of the mattress, and shutting his eyes for longer than a blink. He's tired, and not entirely stable (Yulia had not been the only one he had to save, even if she had been his first priority if only because he trusted the members of Wolf's Choice to handle themselves and their own without his assistance now), but he's been through worse before. It'll pass eventually.]
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It didn't take too long for Anya to gain control of her body. They were falling apart and she didn't want-- never wanted to see her blade die on her again. Especially not after how far they've gone together.
So she let Anya take over. After that, everything was a blur of blades and blood-- death and destruction, and nothing could stop her. Not even herself.
But it ends all too soon. She's sustained too much damage to her own body while fighting. Before her body gave out, before everything went dark, she knew (distinctively remembers) she saw the Blade King himself enter the battlefield.
That was probably hours ago.
Yulia wakes up at the smell of cigarettes and... blood. Hers, she thinks at first, but... no, it didn't feel that way at all. She cracks open an eye and, as she attempts to sit up from wherever she's lying down, whimpers (hisses and squeals, actually) in pain.
Deep cuts, bruises, that's a broken leg, and-- did she dislocate her shoulder sometime during the fight against Grendal? She isn't surprised, but... ]
Who--?
[ Someone patched her up. Brig? Josh? She can't tell from where she was lying down, but someone is at the foot of the (dinky) cot she's on. There isn't enough light for her to make out who it is, and she's still disoriented and distracted from all the aching and pain stabbing throughout her body (stop squirming). It has to be someone she trusts; she wouldn't feel as calm as she is if it isn't. ]
Oh right, I forgot something.
Good morning.
[The smile comes automatically, but it isn't as perfect as it should be. Maybe he can work on that a little later. And if she was still too out of it to figure out who was with her, the red rings were a dead giveaway, especially in lighting as bad as this.
Not quite stable, indeed.]
ouo
What-- [ no, she could pretty much gather what had happened. She licks her lips just to wet them and resigns herself to lying back down. She probably has a fractured rib. ]
Where are the others?
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He hadn't needed the light, but his companion probably did.]
They're safe, last I checked.
[He would have known if they had died, if for anything else.]
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It meant that Wolf's Choice and the War Hounds could still be out there, fighting. She figures it was that; if they had retreated, she and Hikaru would not be holed up here.
She's quiet for a while longer, trying to assess everything, and trying to find the right words to say. Resistant injuries are a bitch to handle when you're trying to think. ]
I owe you my life again, it seems.
[ She wants to ask why he didn't just leave her in the battlefield to die. She does not mind going out that way; she's always figured she would die in a battle, even when she wasn't a Bladian yet.
She doesn't ask him that, just yet. It would be... rude. ]
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[And he means it. As things stood, his reasons were neatly divided between selfless and selfish. Ethically, nobody really deserved to die and everybody deserved a chance. On the other hand, it wasn't like he could stand having another person that he knew personally die on his watch.]
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Thank you, anyway.
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Since we're having this conversation now, am I right to assume that you've bled it all out?
[He means, of course, the Rapture.]
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[ She nods, reminded again of every part of her that refuses to feel anything but pain. There's a lot, but she could pinpoint four parts (other leg, the cut along her arm, her ribs, and a shoulder blade) that refuses to be ignored. She barely even remembers how she got most of her injuries. ]
I will definitely not try that again, if it will always feel like death spat you out of his own mouth. [ A pause. ] No offense.
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[Either way, she's probably in dire need of alcohol right now. And maybe cigarettes.]
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You do not have to. [ She wants to tell him that she deserves the shit condition she's in for being careless. She shuts up about it, though. ] But I would like a drink and a smoke.
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[And, after sliding a pack and lighter in her direction, he's getting up and heading towards his bag. He always had at least a bottle with him, beyond the usual canister.]
Try not to move, all right?
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[ She lights up, takes a long, deep drag, and exhales. That, while actually somewhat detrimental to her health, felt really, really good. ]
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You know what I meant.
[About a minute later, he's coming back with the supplies. He's also putting a nice, big bottle of vodka beside her.]
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...He also needs to shake off the grip of shadow and stillness. Cue Hikaru Shinta staring off, occasionally shutting his eyes for longer than a blink.
He finishes his cigarette soon enough. The red rings are still there.]
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You look like you need more rest than me.
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[Admittedly, Yulia being down for the count was one of the major things that had him on edge. He couldn't do much about anything else, and - true to his nature - that meant that he hyper-focused on whatever else was left.]
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[ She'll just be here. Smoking. It's not like she could just get up and move any time soon. ]
I'll be fine.
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[Which is his way of saying that there's no need to fuss over him. She's the injured one, and he will take care of her.
Thankfully, the glow is starting to fade.]
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Da, I could. It will take time. I can wait.
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[Turning away again, then, just to finish his cigarette.]
By my estimate, we'll be stuck here until dawn at the earliest.
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[ If only because she didn't want him to fuss over her. He didn't have to. ]
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[Couple his tone with the look on his face and you've a gentle admonition, and maybe a half-threat.]
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