gocirclegogo | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Kida had spent the past few days not only in a miserable mood, but inflicting that mood onto everyone around him. He had decided he needed to sort out everything that was happening and stop being so paranoid. He'd written a letter of apology to Lion and snuck it to her house in the middle of the night. Hopefully she got it and would respond. He understood if it took her a while. He was especially cruel and unkind.

He'd also spoken to Zelos, who agreed to talk to the people at Dagon and try to get them to back off of Lion. Even if Mikado wasn't directly involved in any of it, he couldn't help worrying it would lead to all sorts of issues of miscommunications and misunderstandings because he was with Lion that day and he was learning magic now, too.

He wasn't really sure what else he could do at this point though, so he decided to take it easy at home with his friend and try to relax with his friend. That's why Kida threw a pencil at Mikado's head from his spot lounging on Izaya's couch.

"You spend so much time reading those books, do any of them have a spell for inventing television or the internet in them? Or maybe a spell to summon a super cute girl in a maid's costume who will use -sama and bow and blush in cute ways while she serves us."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

He nodded, feeling all but useless. Really what would he have done without Erika? He'd already have failed to save Masaomi three or four times at this point.

"Thank you." His voice was soft, a light noise of pain escaping him after as they continued. He hadn't been hit hard in the head, and his previous head injury should have been healed enough. The dizziness was probably just the situation and the pain of his arm. He ignored it and continued with Erika, not voicing anything.

His thoughts were racing. Masaomi was the main point, fear and worry coloring everything with that driving need to find his friend. Regret and gratitude towards Erika also buzzed within him. He shouldn't have involved her and he couldn't have done anything without her. That she had killed for him was still a shock, but he honestly just didn't have time to consider it.

He had to concern himself with how they were going to get out once they found Masaomi.

After this was all settled, Erika really needed to sit him down and explain there was little to thank her for here. Accompanying him was for his safety and her enjoyment. Saving Kida - while she really didn't dislike him - was only on the list because it was Mikado's whole point.

And the killing, well. She wasn't about to tell him her head trick to trap Battler but 'ensuring death' was the job of a detective. The detective's right was to look at a body and declare the status of life, after all.

Ah, loopholes.

Erika was leading blind here but Mikado was just as lost as her, so it didn't matter. The silence was...unsettling. There were sure to be more to fight soon but this quiet felt wrong. And the dark reminded her of oblivion.

"...When we find him, stay with him and keep close to me. I can get us out of here. Enough magic is lingering in me to do more if needed." She spoke softly. Her scythe was at rest and she seemed calmer despite her sense buzzing and screaming at the growing magic the further they walked and what was this, an endless staircase?

Possibly Erika was agitated a bit.

The magic just got thicker the further they went. If there were a ritual being performed on Masaomi, this was probably the right direction. Mikado just nodded in affirmation at her words.

He could feel it too, though he recognized it from his studying and growing awareness, he didn't realize what he was recognizing at first.

"...Okay." He affirmed verbally as well. This time he did add, because the shock was so very fresh; "Please... Don't kill anyone else." There was a sort of dull calmness to his voice. Even while he considered the cost of human life, he also knew that this would get them in a lot of trouble with the church. It was very possible they were well beyond any point of recovery and further damage wouldn't matter. On the other hand, murdering more cultists would surely only enrage the rest further. Even if the cultists had absolutely no love for their fellows, their pride as an organization would likely be wounded.

That his thoughts could be so removed, detached even, scared him and worried him. But it was a consideration he realized he'd had in mind without acknowledging it, right from the start. He definitely didn't want anyone hurt. This also included himself, Masaomi and Erika, as well as Izaya who might end up caught up in things if they caused excessive trouble.

The people they were facing were dangerous. But while the immediate concern was Masaomi, future ramifications also existed.

Edited 2011-11-20 15:04 (UTC)

Shutting her eyes, Erika nodded. In the same way as Mikado, she also quietly gave verbal confirmation. "Unless you say otherwise, I won't." It gave him an out in case things got heated. Or when they got heated. Erika doubted this was going to go well, assuming they even found Kida alive. And even getting out alive could have a massive ripple effect.

In the wider perspective, she thought of Zelos, who went out of his way to vouch for foreigners - Lion and Mikado - here, and for Will, should anything get traced back to that strangely calm home. In fact, she had to consider all of those people, this long web of friendships and other relationships, that stretched and weaved between them all. If it was the red string of fate, it had tied them in a strange mess.

Worrying at all was strange for her and to this extent... she actually gave a soft laugh.

"Caring about you people...is more confusing than anything." Though only Will knew exactly what sort of terrible, disgusting excuse of humanity she was inside. If Mikado knew, he would be lost. And Zelos surely had to have some limits...

Soon, though, a sound came. Chanting? Yes, in some tongue that Erika recognised from the books. From human mouths it sounded surreal and impossible. The buzz was strong and her scythe was glowing brighter. The restless feeling of touching something wider than this world was driving her into a quiet, unseen frenzy.

The stairs opened to a small landing with a large archway. It was the perfect vantage point - with room to hide around the corner - for staring into the massive room beyond. In fact the ceiling couldn't even be seen; there was just a gray haze. Horrible statues of the gods were lining the room and hooded figures stood in a circle, reading from old scrolls and drawing symbols on the ground.

But more important was a very out of place figure: their target.

Kida had no idea his friends, well friend was so close. Instead he was watching the hooded figures as he toyed with the sleeves of his own robes. It was a simple protection spell, it would initiate himself into some magical guardian type roll, and give him the ability to prevent Lion's magic from going too far. It would eliminate the need for other churches to harass Lion or Mikado about their unaffiliated use of magic. Even if he wasn't part of the Church of Dagon, his status as a member of the Church of Martel was more desirable than no church backing at all.

The ritual had been explained to him as sending him to a place along the thin line between life and death. The work of the priests and priestesses would keep him on that line, and soften the echoes of the Great Old Ones, since his heart and mind and body weren't ready for the horror and wonder of those voices, according to one priest. Kida was also cautioned about the delicacy of this kind of magic. Any disruption at all could make the protections they built for him crumble. At that explanation, Kida had made a crack about it being like a souffle of magic. He was met with serious faces, although one hooded figure did crack a smile that they quickly tried to hide. That small reaction made Kida feel more at ease. The moment had passed quickly though, as they continued to tell him that his life and sanity were in the balance here, and they wanted to be sure he was absolutely certain before he agreed, because this type of ritual and this role required acceptance and compliance. Kida had agreed. He could do this, for his friends, and in a selfish way for himself, too. He would make himself a reliable person.

Explanations were over now though, all words said in a language he couldn't understand. Kida knew he had passed the point of no return as he felt arms remove the robe he was wearing, until he was only in his boxers. He was pushed inside one of the circles that was drawn on the floor. It was almost like a tiny pit in the floor, only about two shallow steps below everyone else. It could fit about three people, and that was a tight squeeze. All the hooded figures loomed over him now, except for the two that stood in the pit with him drawing symbols on Kida's body, around scars he'd gained in that Yellow Scarves fight Mikado had stumbled upon, and scars from fights that Mikado would never know about. He was surprised at how quickly his body was covered in symbols from head to toe. "Don't worry, it will wash off with a bath or two," one of the girls that drew on him said quietly into his ear, perhaps sensing that shallow concern of his. She pushed him towards one edge of the pit. Her voice was the only indication she was a girl. The robes did a good job of cloaking identities and genders.

The high priest in charge of the ceremony, not that Matthis peson he was told, took Kida's hands, binding them together as he continued changing. The priest pulled out a dagger. Kida was told this dagger contained some sort of drug that would send him into a trance, taking him to that borderline between life and death, between the world of the Great Old Ones and the human plane of existence. It would be an almost out of body experience, one they would contain and keep as pleasant and sheltered as possible. As the dagger sliced across his open palms, he started to feel dizzy. The dagger was quickly taken away and placed into a locked box. The dizziness grew more and more, but Kida had to stay standing, just for a few more seconds. He watched as his blood flowed into a large chalice. There was all ready blood or something in the chalice before his own blood started flowing, but Kida did not ask, too distracted with keeping himself on his feet.

The chalice itself was large enough that it took two attendants to hold it in place. A new dagger was brought out and carried by a third attendant. The chalice and dagger were moved around to three more of the church goers, out of the dozen or so there. As they spilled their own blood into the chalice they recited strange words in a strange tongue. Kida was walked through all of this beforehand, too. They were tying their life force to his life force to keep him tethered to this world.

Finally the chalice was brought back to the high priest, who said a few words before spilling his own blood into the chalice, too. His recitations were almost songlike as he took the chalice from the two attendants. His hands were steady as he raised it over his head, before bringing it back down and taking a sip. He then raised it over his head again, before bringing it back down to Kida's lips. Kida knew he couldn't hesitate now, so he took a sip, closing his eyes. His legs were becoming shakier and shakier. He only had to stay standing for a few more seconds. The chanting seemed to get louder and louder by the second, as the high priest held the chalice in the air one more time, before finally pouring it over Kida's head, blood pouring down his body. He was told he had to keep his eyes open here, and he watched, until finally the blood touched the floor and the symbols beneath Kida's feet. He could finally let go now.

Kida's knees buckled as he crashed onto the hard floor. Only it didn't hurt. Nothing hurt as the dizzying atmosphere tugged at him. He was no longer awake, he was no longer even one with his body, he thought. There were terrible voices and shades of colours crashing around him, but they were all muted. There was something terrible that could get him, that fear and horror could not be muted no matter what ritual was performed, but right now he was safe and protected. If anything, the chanting and the sense of the ritual happening around him gave him a sense of comfort that was close to euphoria, even as he was oddly and acutely aware at how lifeless his physical body felt at the moment. The chanting itself seemed less strange to his ears and mind and heart and more like a language he used to speak but forgot somewhere along the way. He was safe, and when this was all finished he could keep his friends safe, too.

From the distance and timing, all Mikado and Erika would see is the blood being poured on Kida and the young man falling shortly after. It was a terrifying instance to Mikado, to see his friend fall down, bloody and seemingly lifeless. Even in Mikado's studies he hadn't encountered a ritual like this one, so he had no way to recognize the purpose, no way to analyze what was really happening or what the cultists were truly up to and doing.

All he knew was that under the blood, Kida looked like he wasn't breathing.

He'd dropped the lamp in the earlier fight. The only thing he had was himself. Leaving Erika behind in his rush forward, Mikado didn't have time to really consider that he'd never really practiced magic and maybe using it was a bad idea when he didn't know how in the first place. He'd use it now if he had to.

He slammed into the cultist closest to the stairs, using his body and momentum to push him over. That hurt like hell, because it jarred his arm, but he couldn't care. The chanting stuttered to a stop as he picked himself up quickly and grabbed a torch, backing towards the center of the circle as he held it in front of him to keep the cultists at bay.

"Boy..." One of the robed figures gasped, stepping forward, and Mikado lashed out with the torch, catching the man's robe on fire.

Idiot. Even if it was sudden, even if Kida looked lifeless, think think think. Never stop thinking. Ugh. Erika didn't know enough about this magic. Bad. Very bad. But it didn't matter. Move made. Had to go with it.

If anything, Mikado was going to need protection now.

Erika heard an order, a little frantic but firm, to continue the ritual. Apparently this was the crucial moment. Even with one of their own on fire, they were trying. Impressive.

But a few were moving in to try to salvage the fallen and block the two from getting closer. Doubts seemed to flicker in the darkness under the hoods of the remaining desperate chanters. Erika twirled her scythe with nothing but pure skill and ease, a warning as she stayed near Mikado.

Even if Mikado had probably forgotten his order, she hadn't.

"Forget them and get Masaomi!" Erika hissed. Revenge could be later if he really wanted. If there was really something wrong and really something they could do, it would have to be now.

The smell of burning flesh filled Kida's senses, although he didn't have much time to really think about that or think about any of the chaos around him. Instead there was a paralyzing fear overwhelming all his senses. Whatever protective cocoon had been surrounding him was cracking, and with each crack the wails and shrieks and moans and incantations of voices that were beyond human filled poured through. They were monstrous and fantastic and horrific, and he just wanted them to stop. He even lost sight of what he was doing here in the first place as everything turned into a swirly hurly burly of things his mind couldn't comprehend.

His lungs gave one huge breath, his body shaking with it, clinging to the comfort of the horrific world hidden in mystery which now seemed so much safer than the one that was breaking through, without the mercy of the unknown remaining unknown. As he opened his eyes he thought he saw Mikado, but he didn't have time to process the scene around him, as the feeling of something tearing into him pulled him away from the scene. There wasn't any physical parallel to the sensation. It was the physical manifestation of soul crushing, as his lungs let out one more painful breath before he was pulled into an overwhelming darkness, filled with nothing but those incomprehensible voices and the crawling sensation of being buried in a world far beyond earth.

Back in the real world, Kida's heart came to a definite and complete stop. Any sign of life was gone. There was a crackling something in the air, and the chanting stopped one by one by one until there was nothing but silence from the cult members. The silence hung for a few more seconds, before a new chanting began, far more ominous than the first, eyes burning through Mikado and Erika.

Mikado dropped to his knees and had to drop the torch. That arm still wasn't obeying him and he only had one limb to try to lift Masaomi. His friend was still warm, but he wasn't breathing. There wasn't... He checked, frantic. No pulse. Masaomi wasn't...

Masaomi wasn't...

Tears rolled down Mikado's face. He had no words he could express, no voice. There was just... Shock. And also a great deal of anger. The grief was still too numb to register. He didn't think about it, he didn't consider it, he just made a noise, small and wordless, as he held his friend one armed.

The fire from the torch at his side turned blue, roared up around him in a column, and split into several smaller flames. His intentions were ironically helped by the magic gathered here at the ritual, by the cultists and their chanting.

The fire engulfed the remaining cultists, even those facing Erika. Whether it would kill them was debatable, but there was no doubt every one of them would be left terribly wounded and scarred from this encounter.

He was unaware of the expression he wore, what he looked like as blue fire lit the room. He wasn't aware of the oddly calm expression on his tear-streaked face or of the way the light reflected in his eyes to make it seem like he was smiling.

And like a prophet at a catastrophe, Orihara Izaya appeared. So, it was done. And it looked like it had been done like Izaya had hoped for. His only disappointment, then, was missing that moment when Mikado's face changed.

But he got to see it now.

Izaya only spared Mikado's face one glance (and this was Erika? she looked like he expected, he would deal with that later) before he was crouched down beside Kida. "So it's gotten this far, huh? Mikado-kun. There's a way to save him, but we have to move fast. Are you willing to do it?"

Edited 2011-11-21 01:48 (UTC)

More like a vulture after a massacre but ah well. Erika was 'kind' enough to sort through the cultists. The ones who needed put out of their misery and the ones who just needed a swift, hard knock and patted out with her scythe. While it was disobeying Mikado, it meant Mikado hadn't killed anyone.

Well, except for his friend. That was probably enough for one day, wasn't it?

Erika looked at Izaya. Several theories were eliminated and a few truths were refined. She tipped her head before shrugging and talking to herself, loud enough for Izaya to hear - she doubted Mikado was aware of much right now.

"No one will interrupt you." Then she heaved up her scythe and went to guard the stairs.

Edited 2011-11-21 02:22 (UTC)

He wouldn't yell at Erika for her actions. Even if he was aware of them, which was debatable. He simply stared at Izaya, not sure where the man had come from or how. It wasn't, in the wake of those words, worth wondering about.

"What is it?" His words were clear and remarkably calm, but it might have been shock keeping his voice a little remote. He didn't ask how Izaya knew such things, he didn't care, in that moment. Izaya was offering him a way out, a chance to restore something infinitely precious and lost.

Whatever the method was, Mikado would do anything, in that moment.

"Just cut your hand open and mix your blood with his. The cut on his hands will work." Izaya's demeanour was calm, but that was no surprise. After all, Izaya had spent a long time working with people who were not limited by his cowardice. So, this could hardly be said to be the first time he'd dealt with corpses before. "I can say the words. Ah, but this is a pretty big thing. It's the only way I've come across, but if we do this, you and Masaomi will be connected until you both die. There's no other way out of it for either of you."

As the informant gave his words of warning, he took up the ritual knife by the blade. Most of the drug was washed away. He offered Mikado that weapon's hilt. "Please decide."

Izaya did not expect Mikado to be looking at his face, but if he did, he wouldn't see a sly smile. Instead, Izaya's eyes were settled totally on Mikado. Perhaps this was interfering, but even the way Izaya had taken the knife kept his hands clean.

All he wanted was to observe.

Mikado didn't hesitate to take the hilt of the knife. It wasn't that he didn't hear Izaya's words. It was simply that it didn't matter what the price was. What being connected forever actually meant was not an issue, because Masaomi was dead in his lap and Mikado still couldn't accept that. There was simply no way to.

The knife he brought to his palm cut and hurt. But that arm was already in great pain. He only hissed--not because he was particularly tough and able to withstand the pain, but because he didn't even have the energy to cry out. He lifted the hand painfully, tangling his fingers with Masaomi's injured hand until their palms pressed together.

He was still crying, hyperventilating a little from the continuous shocks of everything. He looked up, finally, at Izaya's face.

"What now?" His voice shook, trembling on the edge of something. He felt like there were cracks running through him, invisible and deadly, and he might break if he even took a breath wrong.

"It'll be better if you shut your eyes."

With no more warning than that, Izaya spoke. It was the same language that had brought Kida to the edge of life and death. Izaya pronounced the words perfectly, but even in his own ears, they sounded completely strange, like the words weren't possible from his mouth. It sounded to him like someone else was talking through him.

If he was courting madness, that was a price he was willing to pay for this show. When he stopped speaking, the wounds healed, and Kida Masaomi was breathing once again. At that moment, Izaya lost that second vision that let him see how he was binding together the two people in front of him.

Kida sat up, sputtering and gasping for breath as if he had been drowning and had finally found air. He looked around himself, not ready to take in his surroundings or really anything around him. His hands were bound, he was in a strange place, and he could still hear the echoes of that horrible place where he'd been. Even when he closed his eyes just to blink, he saw the horrible expanses of it all.

He needed his hands free and he needed to get away from this place and he needed those voices to stop and he needed something to fix him, because whatever that place was he could feel it flowing in his blood and crawling under his skin. He wanted to dig it all out and purge himself. He tugged on his wrists, trying to pry them free of whatever was binding them, flailing out of Mikado's arms in the process. He barely even registered that Mikado was there.

His eyes were panicked as he looked around the room, like a child who had lost their parent in the grocery store. There were too many imperatives that Kida was trying to keep them straight. Figure out where he was, break free of the bindings, get away from this place, make those voices stop, purge himself of whatever was wrong with him. The restraints were the most pressing thing though, it felt like they were digging into his skin, like they were alive and moving and twisting tighter and tighter, trying to meld themselves into him, even though the restraints were actually loosely bound. He slammed his wrists against the ground, rubbing furiously, trying to get them off.

"Masaomi!" Mikado winced as he was shoved, but straightened himself in order to reach out with his good hand to catch his friend's shoulders. Not regarding Kida's struggles or blind panic, or his own pain or the strange feelings the words Izaya had spoken where evoking in him--twisting, writhing feelings--he pulled his friend into a hug as best he could.

He was still crying and he didn't care. He was relieved. Nothing else mattered. Not the blood covering Masaomi and now himself, not the bodies around them, not the sickening magic still tainting the air.

He couldn't believe it, even though Masaomi was right here, his friend was alive. It was... He couldn't even sort out his own feelings.

(no subject)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2 - man, rituals take a lot of words to right, I hope this works

2/2 - the end

My tears

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)