gocirclegogo | (no subject)

Mikado was engrossed in his reading. The more he learned about magic, the more he wanted to learn. Especially after that dream with Erika, it was almost a mild obsession. It wasn't like he neglected other things, but in his spare time he was sure to leave plenty for his magic studies. It was fascinating and interesting and the pencil bounced off his head, he was too absorbed to notice or dodge.

"Ow. Hey..." He looked up, his eyes a little distant like he was in some other realm, before focusing on Kida. "What...?"

What had Kida just said? He had to rewind a moment. "What kind of use for magic is that?" He sighed, straightening and stretching. He felt strangely tired when he studied this subject. Or maybe... drained? But it hardly deterred him from wanting more.

As they spoke, there was a knock on the door.

"What other kind of use for magic would be worthwhile."

Kida sprang up from his seat, patting Mikado on the head as he walked past.

"Don't bother to get up, I'll get the door. You have to find a spell to create a harem for me. I want a girl from every continent, even Antarctica."

Kida opened the door, only to be greeted by three men with serious faces in robes. He recognized these types from before he moved in with Izaya. They were the type who would come preying on the desperate and half mad. People who went off with them were rarely seen again. Kida stepped outside, a serious look on his face as he closed the front door behind him.

He came back inside a few minutes later, smiling and patting his friend on the head once more as he walked past Mikado to grab his coat. He didn't close the front door behind him and the three shady figures stood in the foyer.

"I have to run out really quickly. I'll be back in a little bit. Oh yeah, and if I'm not back by four, start dinner for me. The last thing I need to hear is that person complaining about being hungry."

And with that Kida moved to make his exit and leave with the three strange men.

And Izaya, who had been observing from the house across the street, prepared to knock another domino to the ground.

Izaya opened his door, glancing around briefly before his eyes settled on Mikado. "Is Masaomi still at church? That's unlucky. If he was here, you could have used his religious affiliation to get those people to get away."

The shady people do catch Mikado's attention and he's nervous about it. They don't look safe. And Kida is expecting to be gone with them a while? He gives his friend a questioning look, but since all Kida says is stuff about dinner, he reluctantly accepts it.

Kida would tell him if something was wrong. Right? They talked about it.

A little troubled, he returns to his reading, but he can't concentrate enough, so by the time Izaya speaks he's already paying attention to the information broker instead of spaced out in fantasy land like before.

"Huh? You just missed him, actually. But what do you mean?"

Izaya smiled easily. "The sort of people who came by are pretty common around here. Those ones looked Church of Dagon. Pretty much, if they take someone off the streets, you'll never hear from them again."

Izaya took his shoes off so he could settle down. Without looking at Mikado, he asked that question: "So, where did Masaomi go?"

"Eh?" The unease twisting in Mikado's stomach spiked to real panic. Was that the sort of people Masaomi had left with? Why hadn't he said anything? Mikado stood abruptly, not bothering to put his study materials into any kind of order as he quickly headed for the door, putting his shoes on and asking as he did.

"Izaya-san, do you know where those people went--that is, where they might be going?" He felt cold and hot at once, true fear for his friend sending adrenaline through him. Even still, his words were basically calm, a little off, but still remarkably even given his anxious expression.

"If they're from the nearest church, they'll go to Westminster Abbey." As he had in Tokyo, Izaya had wanted a home close to all different kinds of life in the city. That happened to put the Abbey nearby.

"Eh?" There? He finishes lacing his shoes. "Thank you Izaya-san!" And he's racing out the door, grabbing his coat but not taking the time to put it on before leaving.

And he rushes down the street in the same tearing hurry. He knows where the church is, he just has to get there and find Masaomi. His heart is agitated and he's scared. What if...? What if Masaomi's hurt? Or they threatened him? What if they tricked his friend? What if something terrible is happening?

With these thoughts and others swirling around in his head, he rushes headlong along the streets.

The Abbey was a public place, so naturally it had to be a certain level of safe and clean. Despite whatever horrors lurked and what madness was contained deep within, it had to look good. That sort of deception...was a nice little challenge.

Part of the game was flushing out the horrors. The other part was striking them down. By doing so, Erika revealed the true nature of that building. So far, no human causalities, either, which meant her game was a valid one to be played.

Some people had been terrified but oh well.

Erika stood on the roof of a building, the street in front of it leading to the Abbey itself. Three creatures were before her. And a swing later, they flew out under her. She hopped after them and didn't care what time of day it was or who was on the street. This game was fun and her scythe twisted into the creatures, crossing over them and splitting them open. All their truths poured out and she smiled.

Those were the last but oh well. Erika swung the scythe - larger than she was and glowing a faint, familiar blue - to rest on her shoulders. What a roadblock for Mikado.

Mikado skidded to a halt in his mad dash as Erika and the monsters appeared before him. He made a noise as the creatures fell before Erika, and also before him. It was the first time he'd really seen corpses of this type. It was rather scary and sickening, and his heart was already pounding madly.

For a moment he could only stare in shock.

Seeing Erika with her scythe, it sent another sensation down his spine. But there was enough confusion and worry already crowding his thoughts that he just didn't have time for that kind of fear. He was afraid though. Even along the way, his imagination had conjured up a lot of awful things.

Though seeing Erika and the monsters had made his mind go blank for a moment in surprise and shock, the images of Masaomi in peril were already coming back.

But there was a part of his mind that was removed from the panic and the danger, that was even considering his own muted reaction to the dead monsters. Was he really... This type of cold person? Or was it just that his concern for Masaomi outweighed his shock?

"Erika-chan!" But maybe, he had to consider that he might be in luck. If Masaomi was in real danger, seeing Erika fight this way, he could use her help. The thought was calm beneath the anxiety, it was even a little comforting.

Glancing up, Erika gave a pleasant, serene smile for her friend. "Good afternoon, Mikado-kun." Of course whatever cheerful tone her voice had was contrasted - complemented? - by the gleam in her eyes. That gleam was the same as when Mikado had driven stakes into her body.

But she tilted her head. Mikado was distressed. The obvious answer was also the incorrect one. New shock from her and the creatures was still a new coat that had been painted thin and brittle over a deeper concern.

"What has happened?" Even as she said that, Erika pushed the corpses into a space between buildings with her scythe. Mild clean-up.

"E-eh..." As she moved the corpses, Mikado wasn't sure what to say. Greeting her with a good afternoon seemed way too surreal in the circumstances. He recognized her excitement in her eyes, but he was hardly in the right frame of mind to really dwell on it.

"Um, to be honest..." He'd just rushed out without thinking, when Izaya's words had troubled his heart. Even now he wasn't entirely calm, but rather agitated and concerned. "I'm afraid that Masaomi is in danger from the church. Some dangerous looking people came by just now and left with him." If should be clear that he was rushing headlong to intervene in whatever might be happening. In comparison to his calm reasoning in the Witch Trial, his actions here were clearly unorganized.

Quick fact compiling said as much. Mikado could thrive in this sort of dangerous pressure as much as he could fail under it. Wasn't that part of her blue truth? Fragile illusions that came with thrills. She could understand that.

"If you don't have even a simple strategy to survive, you won't be coming back at all, let alone with Masaomi-kun." Blunt but true. Erika shook some blood out of her hair as she continued. "Death of a player is permanent. Death of a piece isn't. So?"

The scythe wasn't glowing now, just a simple but deadly blade propped against her. "Use me and use your brain if you want to save him. Absolute will, remember? Shall we simply storm the Abbey?"

It wasn't to remind him of the game or being playful. Simple truths to shake him. Being reckless, thrilled, afraid, that was all fine, as long as he could think.

Her words shocked him, but they were true. Or perhaps they shocked him because they were true as well as blunt. He swallowed, straightening his back, and nodded to her. She was right. He was reckless, but... He considered her for a moment. Almost, he refused her offer. Almost.

But he decided, in that moment, that even if he didn't want to get her involved in something dangerous, the amount of good he could do on his own wasn't worth commenting on. He truly was useless.

"I think death is permanent here either way, Erika-chan. This isn't a game." This wasn't a Witch battle, this was real and he needed her help if he wanted to get Masaomi back. He nodded, still concerned and agitated, but thinking again.

"So, not as a piece... But if you join me as my friend, I'd be really grateful. I don't think we have time for much of a strategy for entering--rather, I'm unsure of what time we have. So if you're coming, we need to go now."

"Partners, then. I've done my best work with a partner." Erika smiled and if there was time, she would curtsey, but she decided to believe Mikado. He was reckless but he was thinking now and if he still believed there was limited time, then so did Erika.

She heaved the scythe so it balanced over her shoulders and grabbed Mikado's hand. Maybe it wasn't a surprise that she could run fast but as she tugged him along, a grin split over her face.

"Just aim me and I will clear the way. Give me your orders. Be specific and direct." She said it simply because in this situation, she was armed, he wasn't. Erika wouldn't stop thinking but... "This is your rescue."

"Tell me when this is over, okay?" He meant it. He'd like to know more about his new friend. But he felt pressured for time. With Erika at his side though, he also felt a little calmer. She was strong. He was ashamed to have to admit that he couldn't do anything on his own, but the overriding feeling was worry, and he could not afford his own humiliation at that realization.

Therefore he nodded to her and headed for the Abbey.

"I just want to find Masaomi and get out of there. I don't want to hurt anyone if possible, and if not, just be gentle. That said, um, don't hold back if it's you or them." It was a sort of ruthless directive, but he valued her safety over the cultists by a long shot.

Not that he wanted to see anyone hurt. He just wanted to find his friend. "I'd really like to get there without any violence at all."

"I understand." And she did. Furudo Erika was not a piece but in a partnership, if the advice was valid, it was as good as an order. The request for story time about her angelic guardian was filed away for later. For now, focus.

Luckily for Mikado, Erika's hunger for knowledge and need to investigate meant she had a fair idea where Kida would be. Instead of any dramatics in storming the front door, Erika led him down a path off to the side, lined with grand statues of humans and some newer ones that seemed a little less so.

Zigzagging past some dormitories, a few followers started to gather and wave at them. Erika drew attention, after all, with her dress and scythe, dragging Mikado as fast as she could. There were actual pursuers now with a dead end wall in front of them and yet Erika turned and grinned at him.

"Trust me." The only warning given before Erika suddenly jumped up, throwing her arm out, specifically the one holding Mikado's hand. It was the sort of strength not expected from someone with a frame like hers. Hell, it probably wouldn't be expected to be possible. Mikado is only in the air by himself for a moment before Erika is holding him.

The next minute they tumble to the ground on the other side of the wall, now in the middle of some cloister. Erika is already picking herself up off the ground. "Straight and left. Passage to the Sanctuary. We shall descend hell from there."

Mikado couldn't help his yelp. He had no idea what she meant when she warned him, but then he was flying and there really wasn't much choice in trusting her or not. Maybe he should tell her some time to be more clear with her intentions, but as he thought that, he realized maybe it was better not to know at times. Maybe he would have resisted unconsciously if he'd had warning.

It wasn't worth thinking about anyway, though his heart was racing as they landed on the other side and Mikado had to get to his feet and convince himself he was intact.

"Um..." He has no words he could form for that little stunt of Erika's, so instead he nodded, determination replacing the shock on his face. They weren't here for fun and they'd been spotted. He was already winded with Erika dragging him at full speed, but he didn't have time to catch his breath either.

"Right." He acknowledged her directions and started forward. He didn't stop but hesitated to confirm the route when he turned left, and by the time they got to where Erika's directions ended it was obvious where to descend from. He didn't wait to let Erika go first, grabbing a lamp and hurrying down the dark stairs before him. Surely they were going to have to deal with cultists looking for them from earlier. Their time was growing shorter and shorter. Mikado didn't know what they'd find at the bottom of the stairs, but he had to be forming ideas for what to do in any situation.

Naturally he didn't consider the worst case scenario. There were many bad situations he could imagine, but when it came to 'worst case' he simply didn't spare it a single thought.

Perhaps it was being naive. Or maybe optimistic. Or perhaps part of him was already aware of the worst case, but in any event, consciously he refused to think about it and instead tried to consider plans for all the other possibilities.

As far as Erika went, she was trailing a little behind anyway. It was good that Mikado was focused on his task, because she was single-minded in her own. This sort of thing, well, it wasn't ideal. Ideal was a match of wits. Anything that got her gray cells scratching free of their bonds, thoughts that pushed logic to beautiful limits and beyond, that was truly thrilling.

But this would do, too. And so Erika gave some enthusiasm as she swung the scythe, knocking back a few cultists. For now and only for now she used the broad, blunt side where handle and blade met. It was harmless but a heavy blow.

It also kept Mikado safe, even if he wasn't aware of it. It did occur to Erika that quite likely these followers knew nothing of what was going on. Just bystanders trying to halt invaders. It was admirable, really.

Erika rejoined Mikado and stayed behind him, looking back and forward. In tighter spaces her scythe had limits and so she turned it carefully so less of the handle was free, hands closer to the blade.

Her hand closed around Mikado's upper arm and she gave a soft hushing sound. Just beyond was a corridor of flickering torch lights and lined with wooden doors. There were definitely some voices but she couldn't hear Kida's in them or anything that might indicate him. But being spotted now...

She just looked to Mikado for his decision.

Part of him was aware of a commotion behind, but he was focused ahead. Call it trust in Erika or naive foolishness, Mikado started only a little when she grabbed his arm. He looked back at her with a serious expression.

He didn't hear Masaomi. It could mean Masaomi wasn't here, but as Erika had said, absence of evidence wasn't evidence of absence. Or something like that. He considered the corridor ahead. He wasn't sure what to expect beyond the doors, he'd never been in these churches except to join Lion for books. These sinister underground rooms were an unknown matter.

He considered it, but the most likely bet was to head straight for the voices. There was the possibility Masaomi was in a room alone, but that meant he was safe (there was no other consideration) and if he wasn't, then if Masaomi was here, he was in a room with the cultists. That seemed decidedly unsafe.

Mikado nodded at Erika over his shoulder, he had a good idea which door to head for considering the direction of the voices, but it also meant they would be revealing themselves.

He'd dragged Erika into something really dangerous.

He had no time to be apologetic about it though, and he touched her arm in return. There was no one in the corridor as he stepped out into it, the lamplight patterning the walls in strange and unsettling ways.

It was a direct approach, but he was heading straight for the room with the voices. Possibly, if they were lucky, they could peek in without being noticed and confirm Masaomi's presence first. Unlikely, but it was a hope. He wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

If he wanted to do the direct approach, then Erika would follow him. Little cells itched in her head and gave spark, noting the width of the hall, the height, exactly how much space she had to swing and the best positions to stand in. Every minute adjustment in her hold and posture was precisely calculated to be to their advantage.

Oh but how she wished she had more data on the situation. Hungry eyes darted around in the dim light to take in whatever they could. What exactly had led to a situation like this? Some details she had heard from her window perch made things sound a little...

Well, there was too little to speculate on at the moment. Erika wasn't the type to jump to a wild theory. She was a good opponent because she reasoned to a finer and sharper point than any blade.

Still, there was a suspicion about all this. Ah well.

At the slightly ajar door, they could hear the voices clearer but not distinct enough. It didn't sound like Kida was inside. But it did sound like they were talking about him. Some ritual they felt would go well? Lucky that he was so well-suited for it? Or something about believing them but it was hard to hear right-

Erika did, however, hear the footsteps coming from the stairs and spun around. "Mikado!" she hissed but no, the only thing she could do was hope he kept close.

Grin cracking her face apart, she ran to greet them. Oh, swords? How novel. Blue lit up the hallway as her scythe swung.

Mikado straightened in frustration. He backed away from the door, wanting to stay out of Erika's way. But the men inside were alerted by the sounds in the hall. Mikado realized the only thing he could do was try to hold the door closed, but that rather futile thought was cut short anyway as they rushed out before he could even do that.

The ones coming down the stairs were at least prepared for resistance this time. There was some shouting as they raised their swords to clash with Erika.

Mikado, apparently not on the level of threat as Erika, was not grabbed immediately, instead the men from the room tried for the girl. But since her back was turned...

"Watch out!" Mikado stepped forward, raising an arm to shield his face even as he caught two, three heavy blows meant for Erika. His arm went numb from the shock of the blows, and one of the hits did catch his face as his arm fell; he himself was sent to the ground. The force being used, at least, was not intended to be lethal, but to someone with below average physical abilities, like Mikado, it was still difficult to withstand. It took a moment even to register the extreme pain.

Edited 2011-11-20 13:25 (UTC)

The first three attackers were very lucky. They were disarmed and knocked out before Mikado was hurt. Sure, there were bound to be reinforcements but maybe they would be lucky, too, if the detective's anger was quelled by then.

Because Erika turned and saw Mikado go down and that was worth a maddening laugh. She didn't stop laughing as she twisted the handle so the blade tipped to the sharpest point. Mikado could stay down for now. It was better that way as her sound echoed.

It was hilarious, so funny, how seeing that hurt.

But she didn't drag it out, as much as she wanted to. The impulse - hurt make them bleed and break and tear and split - was strong but Erika's blade struck one man through the heart and the next a fatal but quick slash of his throat on the back swing. The remaining two were shouting for help as they raced away.

Erika stood for a moment, breathless and giggling. "Hey, Mikado? Mikado, you are all right, right? You can get up, right...?"

Maybe the laughing wasn't actually happy. It might not have been since the start.

Mikado was distracted from his own pain by the shock of witnessing two people die right in front of his eyes. Even the corpses of the monsters before had been a different matter than seeing two humans simply cease existing in front of him.

He felt his heart stop for a moment as the world constricted painfully. He didn't know--what should he do? Was this his fault? He felt like he might faint, but was it because of witnessing the deaths or his own pain?

Did human beings... Really have so much blood?

It was an odd thought, among it all. It was just shocking, his mind must be trying to focus on something. Even Erika's laughter was a distant noise to his ringing ears.

Her question snapped him out of it, forced his heart to start again and his breath to fill his lungs. He was shaking like a leaf. They were here... There was a reason they were here wasn't there? There was... They had to find Masaomi.

He looked up at Erika with eyes a little unfocused and dilated. But he nodded, forced himself to stand, though he couldn't really get his one arm to move.

"I'm okay. Are you...?" Was he okay? It didn't matter. He didn't know. He could moved. Was Erika okay? He couldn't even yell at her for killing people, he didn't have the words. To be more honest, even through the shock his emotions weren't strong enough to raise his voice in the first place. He was well aware she'd done it to protect him. He might consider it excessive, but he was also not sure what right he had to be picky when he was the one who put her in this dangerous situation to begin with.

Was that attempting to justify? He wasn't sure.

"W-we... Need to find Masaomi. He's definitely here."

Taking a deep breath, Erika ran the final closed room of the sixth game through her mind. It was quick. She knew the answer now. Rather, it was for Mikado's benefit. Her mental instability was a liability at the moment and the comfort of flipping through a beloved puzzle calmed her.

"Dealing with those stakes the way I did wasn't just an effect of the dream." Which meant not to worry about her. Unless she actually fell, if she could stand, then she was alive enough.

Though...seeing him so shaken was a little concerning. Erika felt nothing at all for the dead but she had tried to kill them 'kindly' for Mikado. Apparently, there really were no kind deaths.

But he was all right. He'd be better once they found that idiot of his and got out of here. Mikado's safety still took priority, though.

Erika pulled Mikado closer to her, mindful of his wounds even as distant footfalls grew louder. "Allow me to handle this. Shut your eyes if you need to but keep yourself safe. After all, that's what my goal, too."

Tempting as it was to carry him, she decided to just keep an eye on him for now, pressing him quickly down the hall and deeper into what she had called hell.