20 memories got killed so, I figured why not do 100 emotions instead. This'll be to complete at my own leisure and when I need to prompt myself to get in character with one of them. As I complete them, I'll strike them out.

005: Amused 028: Confident
062: Indifferent 096: Fear
068: Loved 087: Sick
082: Quixotic 003: Aggressive
024: Cheerful 030: Contemplative
100: Grieving
068: Love
089: Surprised
084: Restless
066: Jealous
009: Apathetic
099: Release
092: Tired
098: Triumphant
097: Reflecting
056: Guilty

Emotion #005: Amused
Rating: PG just because of Kira's mouth.
Characters: Kira, Leif.

"Kira, do you realize how lucky you are to live here?"

An eyebrow raised as she lifted herself up a little from the grassy knoll they'd kicked back to rest on after a few hours of testing the field they were in for bugs. Her feet were dangling in the water, split skirts pull and tied to keep them from falling into the sparkling brook that had been designed for this particular field and he was lying on his back staring up into the summer blue sky with a contemplative expression on his face.

"You're about to get, what's that damn word again, dammit, I just had it too."

She muttered, ignoring the amused look in the man's green eyes as she looked into the water for a moment, feet moving about in the water as she smiled a bit at the feeling of being connected to the Wave she was born under. What was it again... oh yeah, there it was.

"Philosophical. You're about to get philosophical on me, aren't you Leif?"

"Me? How can you tell?"

He asked with a bit of an embarrassed grin on his face, pulling himself into a sitting position and moving closer to her, unlacing the shin length brown leather boots and rolling up the green fabric of his trousers up and dunking his feet in the river. White hair was pulled back into a throng at the nape of his neck and looped back rather than trailing down in a tail as so many people chose and, for some reason, she had the sudden urge to shred the throng so she could see what it looked like completely loose.

She titled her head a bit, watching him stare off into the sky and figured he was in one of his odd moods again.

"You always open up with this whole, 'Do you realize' or 'Have you ever noticed' kind of thing whenever you're about to get into something deep and meaningful. It's like you're about to announce the meaning of life."

A sly smile.

"Would you believe me if I said I found the meaning of life?"

"Not a fucking chance."

Title: A Few Years Later
Emotion: Indifferent (62)
Rating/Warnings: None really, potential OOC for Ko's character since I'm taking a stab at characterizing him in a future era.
Author's Notes: Blame for this one goes to Ko_Inuyasha and the song Hands Clean by Alanis Morissette for getting the notion in my head. Set in a what-if scenario around the time R:2 is active.

A lot had changed over the past... how long had it been now, five or six years? Seven perhaps? The woman with the scimitar-like weapon wondered to herself as her eyes stared unblinkingly into the serious expression of the man with the gigantic barbed sword who stood a handful of yards opposite her inside the city. People were uneasy due to the rising tension in the air, murmuring to themselves as some of the more experienced players in the game began to place bets on who'd make the first attack, who made the last and who the winner of the battle would be. Player killing was overly and ridiculously popular these days, something that irritated more than the administrators who received at least forty complaints per five minutes and each time one looked like it was about to start, people always started making bets to make a little extra Gold on the side.

A memory of a moment similiar to this lurked within her mind, possibly within his as well, of a younger, much more innocent and naive looking girl in all green and holding a bow looking at a man with a gigantic curved blade and dressed entirely in red with a pair of unusual dog ears atop his head from across a platform in the airy town of Dun Loireag. The history between the two strong enough to be read in each other's expressions without the need of words by this point. They were a devastatingly powerful team when paired up in a fight and knew each other's weaknesses in battle to counter any chance of a surprise attack.

The memories of adventures, of serious conversation and friendly competition and honest teamwork came back to the two of them.

And yet, despite all of the history they'd shared together, it wasn't enough to keep one of them from going on with whatever plan they had had in mind to begin with. The moment was broken by her nod of acknowledgement, recognition and of farewell as she turned her head away and returned her attention on to the Chaos Gate ahead of her. Perhaps he had grown gentler and stronger in the years of no communication between them and she wiser and better able to keep herself indifferent to the needs of the suffering. One thing was definitely for sure; despite the number of times someone may have asked her why she spent half of her day out at the temple's prayer grounds that she inhabited and tended to outside of the game and the other half in a similiar vigil-like state in the Cathedral in The World, she never told the reason or gave any hint behind it. If someone told the man who'd gone on his own way, perhaps to a Guild or to drop off a couple items in the storage area, about her odd little ritual, he may have laughed, may have scowled or may have joined her in her vigil. Amidst the players' stares, a similiar thought ran through both of their minds and in all the secrets between the people in The World, one would think that none was more important than the one that two completely opposite people kept.

No one knows except the both of us.

And in some ways? 'Both of us' meant just a little more than people would think.

That alone was enough to bring a bitter-sweet smile to both their faces.

Title: Can't Give Anymore
Emotion: Loved (68)
Rating/Warnings: PG-13ish, might be PG-16. Possible spoilers and an AUish feel.
Author's Notes: Prompt from Zan and inspirted by another song. *cough* And subtly is your friend. Yes indeed.

The events that had transpired were long since deemed unimportant, memories ceasing to come to the surface and the sounds of an ever-moving ocean. Give and take, give and receive, the roles weren't important and coherant thought was considered to be overrated. There were tears, sobs and even a couple of keening, mournful wails to ease the burden, or at least try to even by a little and there were points where fear took over and things were discussed and talked out.

Fears were eased, promises whispered and vows made in silent but careful actions as time moved on. A warm rain fell above them and the sounds of the ocean nearby only made the experience all the more unique and special. In the world of giving and taking; there are points where neither person can give anymore and in that span of time; a place of neither giving nor taking was born and would become somewhere special that only those present would ever remember the exact place.

The place where one can't give or take anymore became a place of exceptance and quiet but honest promises that still lingered in the heart and stopped those who passed by for an instant to remind them of those they may have unintentionally broken their promise to before vanishing in an instant.

She visits that place often and in her mind, it's the safest place she can be.

Title: Days of Innocence
Emotion: Quixotic (82)
Rating/Warnings:
Author's Notes: Definitely set in R:2 with flashbacks of R:1


Five minutes, ten minutes, an hour, perhaps two or three had passed before her eyes had opened and she was looking into the blue of a desert sky. If she tried hard enough, she thought that she could feel the extent of her injuries after she'd been surrounded by a minimum of five rather notorious Player Killers that she'd defeated at various points in the past few months when their victims had seen her walking by and called out desperately for help. Furious about having been defeated by the likes of some 'hero wannabe newcomer' to 'their World', the group had caught her off guard and wanted her to pay for their humiliation at her hands.

She looked around, hair blown about as sand swirled around her hand and around the bodies around her; no remorse flickered across her face, just a sudden sense of peace in her eyes and an expression of acceptence of the events that had happened.

These things had happened since the beginning of her world, something she hadn't accepted in the quixotic times of her youth and her naive belief in the good in everybody. No matter who or how many those in trouble would think to call out to her and plead for salvation; there would always be another who she would not reach in time and another who accepted their fate as a victim of the power-mad human beings who had inflitrated and turned the once lush world into one of complete chaos and into an apocalyptic ruin.

The only thing she could do, as a veteran of The World, was continue to strengthen herself, heal her wounds from battle, and keep walking forward until either a sense of purpose other than getting someone out from a situation over their head came to her or she faded away quietly like those she remembered had done before her.

Title: Of Television and Classics
Emotion: Cheerful (24)
Rating/Warnings: Kira-crack for the most part.
Author's Notes: Never leave Kira alone in front of a TV.

The TV was still on when she woke up from a sudden sharp bark of laughter that almost had her believing a stranger was in her house and, for some reason only God would know, watching her TV. Pushing the blanket off of her shoulders and frowning with a sleep-filled squint over at the figure on her stomach and staring up at the TV. Memory came back to her hazy mind as she remembered that Kira was still in her dear friend's body and had assured her there'd be no trouble when she'd gotten sleepy and decided to rest her head for just a moment on the couch.

And the girl was shaking so hard she'd dropped her head to the floor, a moment of panic in the sable haired girl's eyes as she prepared to lunge up and grab the girl to offer some kind of comfort, be they words or even a hug to get her to calm down.

When the red face came back up, tears down her face as she looked back up at the TV and managed to manipulate the remote to rewind the movie back to a familiar scene with an obviously fake and innocent looking white rabbit suddenly lunging for a poorly costumed knight's throat and removing his head, or something. Laughter echoed in the room again as Kira barely managed to pause the movie to indulge in some, godforbid Mika know the reason why, long bursts of silent laughter that had her gasping for air.

When the AI-temp-human noticed her, she wiped tears from her eyes and pointed to the paused screen of the once again innocent looking rabbit looking around the area as if nothing had ever happened.

"It's Sekai and I's situation, she's the little floppy eared thing that's cute and then I come out and rip throats out; while still looking harmless and cute!"

With that, Kira lapsed back into her own twisted sense of humor. It wasn't the first time and nor would it be the last that Mika wondered just how many screws loose an AI had. Well, besides the fact that she knew for sure that, while Sekai had never been a loud sleeper or woke up everyone in the house if she couldn't sleep, Kira was definitely far too fucking cheerful for it being, Mika checked the clock and groaned; four thirty five in the morning.

Title: Temples and Barrels
Emotion: Confused (29)
Rating/Warnings: G for just plain silliness on my part.
Author's Notes: Definitely set in R:2, there's no way around it. And this one's yours Zan.

Temple fields were definitely one of her favored places to roam about aimlessly. Something about the atmosphere, programmed and as disconnected from it as she was, reminded her of the quiet shrine she lived in and tended to in order to repay the debt she owed to the Fujimura couple. As lovely as the interior was, part of her wanted to shake her head at the exaggerated looming interior of the field's dungeon. Honestly, even the storehouses on the shrine grounds weren't nearly as ominous and open as they made it out to be in this place. She'd just passed by something that looked like an odd barrel when something quite definitely squeaked and zipped past her. Startled and caught off her guard, the Blade Brandier whirled around and prepared to cut the enemy down-

...only to find that her 'enemy' was nothing more than some odd little blue thing with some large orb atop its head that had run into said barrel.

Every time she tried to get closer to the little creature, it'd make some terrified noise that would startle the living daylights out of her and go zipping off in another direction before usually crashing into something and looking back at her warily. After a few moments of consideration; the former Archer decided that enough was enough for one day and that whatever the weird little thing was, she'd leave it to go crashing into things and sustain what little more brain damage the poor thing could give itself.

Because really, anything that was desperate enough to run into a corner, the same one mind you, for three or four consecutive times was something that was of absolutely no threat.

Title: Out of Time
Emotion: Grieving (100)
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 to light R depending on how you look at it. Strongly implied sexual activity, Yuri references, Swearing, Angst out the fuckin' ass
Author's Notes: Set at the very very beginning of what will become R:2 and this is depressing as freaking hell just to let you know. 24 hour time (AKA Military time is used because, well, Japan uses it. @_@) I strongly suggest listening to Within Temptation's "All I Need" when reading this.


October 2015, Okinawa City, Okinawa, Japan

23:58 something was wrong and awoke one of the women sleeping peacefully in the queen sized bed at the ocean resort's floor level room. One hand gripping her chest in an attempt to stop the painful constricting going on within, she struggled into a sitting position and glanced around with frightened eyes for the cause of the problem. The laptop's screen on the otherside of the room flickered, switching on and casting the room in a brilliant aquamarine light before it flashed red, then back to aqua and repeated itself several times before the battery fried and the entire system crashed into nothingness.

Jumbled and flashing across the screen too quickly for anyone but her own former self's eyes to follow had been a string of unfamiliar code that served as a small warning. As painful as the warning itself had been, nothing would be so painful as the events that were going to follow when she woke the curled up and peaceful woman at her side.

Her time was up; it was coming for her.

23:59 and her free hand was shaking the girl awake, trembling the entire time as her eyes frantically willed the clock and time itself to slow down, to give her the time that would never truly be long enough to be able to explain what was about to happen without knowing the reason why. Concerned and mind still muddled by sleep, she awakened and quickly snapped to concern as her pale face and frantic, shaking voice was heard. In broken tones with equally broken sobs and fits of cursing, she only managed to get out that something was wrong and it was coming for her.

That there would no longer be a together or a they; there would only be a her from when it came and took her away until they would meet again at the end of her lifespan.

00:00 and they were both weeping, cradled in each others' arms and trying to hold on to each other as tightly as they could, trying to prove that their need for each other was stronger than the inevitable that was coming on slow but steady wings. She cried for the unfairness of the time promised to be by her side being stolen away from her with no reason behind it while the other wept for the impending loss of the person most important to her.

03:00; they were recovering, breathless and bodies tingling from the past three hours of desperation that had fueled them into feverish passion, desperate to leave some kind of lasting imprint on the other person that would not fade with time and would linger and stay forever. No words were spoken, failing to form coherantly inside muddled and grieving minds as they lay within each others arms, eyes staring blankly into each other as the painful understanding tore their hearts to pieces and leaving scars that wouldn't be healed by time.

05:45; her request was to be helped out to sit by the ocean waves and watch the sun rise and greet the new and final day at her side. Together they sat, shivering at the humid night air against their sheet wrapped bodies and stared out at the ocean with their hands tightly entwined and her failing body resting against the shaking and still fragile form of the other's. How much they had gone through in what felt like so short amount of time.... and how close and dependant the two of them had become to and on each other.

Neither could really or wanted to remember the time of their lives where they hadn't been with each other.

The sky was lightening up as they stared out, unable to find the words to say goodbye and unwilling to say them even had they been found, desperate to cling to a moment that escaped all too quickly from their grasp and vanished into the lost stream of time. Both of them damned the way this was going to be ending, helplessly and unable to find a way to prevent it or at the very least, find a way, a painless and quick way for them to go to where ever it was going to take her away together and still with their hands linked.

05:55 and she could feel her body shutting down and going into complete system failure. The high tide lapped around their waists and receeded, leaving them drenched, gasping from the cold and shivering as their grip on each other turned white-knuckled and tightened as much as they could possibly go with their strength. She wanted to curse the rising sun and the ocean and it for destroying her, no, for destroying their happiness.

The tears were back in full unrestrained fury as the realization and impending certainty of the end was approaching rapidly. Her voice would no longer work for her, turning traitor in the moments she needed it the most and her lips only mouthing the silent and unspoken pleas against the tears. She was reeling from the jolt to her failing mind that the chill of the water sent her when her head was tilted up and her mouth captured desperately. Feelings conveyed and the words spoken through action alone as she felt the bones shifting under her tight grip on the girl's hands, the tears from more than one kind of pain and of sorrow and grief mingling with the salty spray of the ocean that drenched and pulled at them with the six and nearly final wave that came in the ocean's unending pattern.

05:59; consciousness was fading fast and it became a struggle to keep her vision and hearing from tunneling and turning to nothing. Dammit, if it was going to take her, then by the Gods alive and deceased in both worlds; it was going to do it on her terms and with her in control of at least three of her five or six senses. The ones that mattered the most to her that is; sight, sound and touch. She would keep those until she couldn't keep them any longer and have the last everything belong to her so called little one who wasn't so little any more.

Clinging tightly and holding on with all the supernatural strength that was granted to the dying and the desperate, she forced her head and body to life up to kiss her just once more, pleading with every fiber of her eroding being to let her last belong to the one who had given her the first. There were no words, no undying declarations or peaceful, beautiful scenes of body going slack and the ethereal but vaguely visible form of the soul leaving the body and giving a parting wave to the one left behind.

Teeth sank into the soft but bruised and reddened lower lip and tore, blood trickling down as dull fingernails seized and made furrows into the hand and cracked the bones beneath the flesh as the eternal and final struggle began. The stinging of the ocean's seventh and final pattern crashing down upon the both of them and sending them temporarily to a world of whirling, stinging, roaring and silence where nothing existed save for the two of them, their hearts and their feelings.

06:01 and the wave had receeded, the sun bursting through the horizon and bathing the water-soaked women in gold light that blinded the eyes of the only one left to be able to see such a thing and who was bent over the lifeless and heavy body lying listlessly with her head against the woman's neck and shoulder. Their hands still tightly gripped in each other's hands as sobbing greeted the dawn of a brand new day.

It had come, won the frantic, futile struggle, and took them out of each other's reach; until the day the remaining one's breath would begin to leave.... and it would come for her as well.

Title: All It Took
Emotion: Love (68)
Rating/Warnings: Fluff and Sappiness
Author's Notes: Sappy as hell and about as fluffy-cute as I can stand without giving myself cavities. Thought I needed something cute in here despite all the angst I've thrown in.


It didn't take much to discourage her.

A failure here or there, any ability she had rendered useless or ineffective when she tried to bring her share into the battle, being cut down verbally for her, admittedly, naive beliefs or even just the failure of understanding something that should have been simple enough to 'get' the first time around.

She would blame her inability to be strong enough, lacking power to protect or do anything to help someone and prevent them from being killed in the field and would push herself damn near to the point of collapsing from exhaustion or from pushing herself too far too fast. Usually she or one of the others in the hideout would scold her for refusing to pace herself and she'd sit there, fighting back tears sometimes and at others just listening quietly before whispering a soft apology.

There were times where she would go out on her own into the town and find a quiet place hidden away from everyone, usually during one of the times the two of them 'split' to keep an eye on something or another, and just break down into disappointed and heart broken sobs. They never were able to get the reason out of her the first three or four times she came back with slightly bloodshot and swollen eyes, only that she insisted nothing happened and that she was alright. None of them believed her and somehow, small as she was and the way she generally stuck out in a crowd, she always managed to give them the slip when they tried to tail her.

When she'd found the girl's hiding place, she'd about damn near blown her top and went off on the girl; and about had herself in tears as well. Sekai had done as she had been told to do and found herself surprised as the frustrated, rather desperate looking woman had placed her palm flat against hers and laced their fingers together without moving her eyes from the girl's own. Nothing else had needed to be said; the expression on Kira's face and the fact that she'd dropped her guard spoke volumes alone and more than any words could have possibly spoken.

Every time Sekai found herself getting discouraged after that, Kira would always appear and wordlessly lace their fingers together, grip her hand tightly and just stand there until she could regain her composure and eventually be able to give a silent thank you by leaning her head on the taller woman's shoulder.

Kira knew the word and had looked up the definition for it; she just didn't know how the word could apply to them.

Title: Food and Stereotypes
Emotion: Surprised (89)
Rating/Warnings: No warnings this time
Author's Notes: Just figured this out this morning. Really entertaining actually.



"You... eat fruit for the most part? Not meat?"

She'd been unable to believe it and the expression on her face revealed the amount of time it was taking for the openly admitted fact to sink in. Kira'd scowled, biting into the pear she'd been eating and chewing irritably for a moment before swallowing and waving a hand at Sekai for emphasis with her words.

"What? Just because I have a spear, I'm tall and aggressive and shit doesn't mean I, you know, adhere to the 'must suck the blood from my kill and cook it over a fire' schitick a lot of others do. I don't like red meat, I only eat fish or things that come from the seas and fruit. Vegetables are alright sometimes, I like fruit more though."

More blinking on Sekai's part as Kira sighed and took another bite out of her piece of fruit, chewing contentedly and looking quite happy, just like she'd seen Mika take a big old hunk out of a steak her father'd made once. The comparisons were really kind of funny actually as Sekai nibbled a bit on the strawberries she'd gotten a tiny bowl of to join Kira for a 'snack'.

"Eat more fruit and you'll be healthier. Actually? I'm going to help you eat better, screw red meat; fish 'n fruit with rice'll be good for you. Protein and Iron can be found other places too."

There really wasn't too big of a point for Sekai to eat, though it sure kept her feeling some sort of connection to the actual world and brought a sense of normalcy anyways. Kira on the other hand, seemed to require some sort of substance in their stomach to feed off of or, well, something. Whatever it was; there was a cranky as hell AI if she didn't get something to eat at the allotted times. Which brought the young Archer to her next observation as she quickly checked around her to make sure none of the others were coming into the dining area; Kira, as unlikely as it seemed and as bizarre as she'd found it to be when she'd realized it and the AI had confirmed it, was something of a vegetarian.

More specifically; she didn't eat meat save for fish and disliked several vegetables. Oh, and she positively thrived on fruit.

Sekai watched as Kira discussed several different kinds of fruit with the usually nonchalant and less than chatty cook that served their meals and what their health properties were with more than a little amusement. Who'd have thought that someone as... well, feline and at times down right feral and animalistic, would have such a dislike of meat? Currently the AI was working on devouring the sections of her third orange of the day, a platter of assorted fruit that she was making her way through. Leaning against the counter and taking a pull off of the straw in some odd blend of fruit, yogurt and milk that Kira insisted was healthy and good for her, she continued to watch as the cook and the AI got into some kind of argument over which citrusy fruit was filled with more vitamins.

No, there was definitely no chance that Kira was allowing herself to be grouped in with a stereotype and somehow, that made her smile for a reason even she couldn't explain.

Title: Midnight and Moonlight
Emotion: Restless (84)
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 because Kira gets nekkid.
Author's Notes: Kind of depressing I guess? o.o; Not sure really what to say about it, save that it came into my head and wouldn't leave.

There are times that she wonders if Kira's going to leave her and return to her old life.

The full moon seems to bring out a certain tension in the AI that Sekai can see eats away at the once powerful woman now humbled and forced to rely on someone much weaker in body, soul and personality than she was. Kira paces up and down the room, often relieved when Sekai quietly leaves the couch or the small bed she occupied when resting and heads out for a water field containing some river or ocean. The ocean especially eases the irritated spirit of her friend and ally the more she visits the area.

She watches as Kira strips down to nothing, like her clothes are something foul or are branding her skin, and races off into the waves to disappear beneath the full moon. Sekai waits for her every time, sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest and resting her chin between them as she watches the shadowed form seem to become whole once more. It's worth the steady draining of health and magic from her body to watch her ease the frustration out of her system and she has not the heart to tell Kira how it hurts to keep her stabilized in that form.

There's something special in the way the light from the moon hits the ocean, the water sprays into the air and the way the shadows and light combine to turn Kira into something that makes her eyes fill with tears. She isn't sure what to name what she's seeing, but the way the powerful voice of the AI is combined with the swift, sure and graceful movements of the temporarily restored body inside the waves tells her that Kira is more than what she knows.

Kira comes out of the sea, glowing with satisfaction and looking happier than Sekai's ever seen her and shrugs on her clothes, retying the wrap around her back and fastening it before adjusting the oddly designed garment around her waist. She's no longer restless and says they should head back and grab a quick bite to eat before getting some sleep. Concern is in her eyes as she bends over her and wipes away the tears falling down her cheeks before asking if she's alright. She can only shake her head and ask her what she's planning on eating after Kira returns to the shadow of that beautiful being she saw in the waves and they head out of the field.

One of these days Sekai will ask Kira if she's going to leave her; just not today.

Title: Stupid Humans
Emotion: Jealous (66)
Rating/Warnings: Um... this is how Kira angsts?
Author's Notes: This is what Kira's doing while Sekai and Raq are at the Hub. Takes place right before the AI Fight Raquar and I've set up.


As much as it killed her to feel the girl's distress and frustration pouring through the link they shared with each other and as much as it nearly drove her insane to ignore the desperation in the frantic series of calls her little one sent to her; Kira ignored them all in favor of sulking somewhere in the hideout. This was absolutely ri-fucking-dicilous; she was powerful in more ways than one, the epitome of a wild spirit, a former high priestess of one of the most powerful elements imaginable in this world, strong enough to carry someone through fire, lightning, etc, and she had the ideal facial and body structure from where she was from. Dammit all to the six Hells; what the hell did he have that she didn't?

Oh, right; that soul thing.

She scowled, throwing some of her weight into one of the rooms and scowling when it did nothing more than drain more energy than she cared to spend at the time. Flopping down on the bed in the darkest corner, completely ignoring the fact that, as a ghostly spirit, she was defeating the purpose of sulking in the dark. Her fist went through the wall, lips curling back in a snarl as she sulked and stewed all the more at the lack of physical sensation she needed to loose some aggression out in. What the hell was so great about this whole 'soul' thing anyways? As far as she was concerned, souls were some cheap ass little thing meant to exclude others and shit like that.

He was young, inexperienced, pessimistic and got down on himself easily enough... she couldn't send any kind of nasty comment about his choice of class, though, his choice of elements was shit on its own. Damn Ciar, oh well, at least he didn't go for freakin' Jadin; that would've been just unforgivable. Oh, and he just had to be human too. Almost forgot that tiny little detail.

Kira's shoulders slumped, knees drawing up to her chest as she rested her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. So what was so great about being human that it completely outed anyone else who might be interested? Humans were fragile; they had one life and there was really no way to revive them, they had absolutely no magical abilities and they always, always wound up doing more harm than good to damn near everything around them. Never could stop and take the time to watch a sunrise or a sunset, fought dirtier than any of the sanctioned battles between the high priestesses could ever be, and were always, always in a rush to get as much done as possible, burning themselves out in the process while they were at it.

...why the hell did she even give two shits anyways about this whole thing?

Sure she'd been around Sekai long enough and likely knew her better than anyone... probably knew her better than the girl knew herself, had stuck by the girl through everything and saved her ass countless times.... and she knew how to make the girl turn a shade of red that Jadin would've been proud of with only a look. But despite all of that? He was the one who turned her a shade of red that she hadn't even seen before, was the one she seemed to head towards for comfort and to give comfort when it was needed, talked to him the easiest and often shared things she wouldn't even let her know about...and... dammit.

She blew her bangs out of her face and drew her knees a little closer to her chest, staring glumly at the wall in front of her and sighing irritably after a moment. If she only had her body back... she could show this jackass who he was messing with and what she was capable of... and she could prove to Sekai that the girl was just wasting her time-

This just sucked.

With a long suffering groan, Kira dropped her head to her knees and fought against the urge to just let loose with an animalistic scream of frustration. Violence solved everything; even stupid crap that couldn't be talked about or figured out for the life of her. Everything felt better and made more sense after she'd kicked the everliving shit out of someone... and she knew just who to go smacking around. After all, they did have some unfinished business between them.

Her eyes had fallen on the bed nearest to the door, one of the few light sources in the room and softened at the neatly made bed and the organized way the girl kept her belongings- Vulcan be damned she was doing it again! This time indulging herself in a long suffering half-groan, half-scream of frustration, Kira vanished from the room, composing a flashmail to send at Torvald while searching for a place that'd be perfect for the battlefield... and to give herself a little more time to compose herself.

After all; as an AI? She couldn't wear what she didn't have, a heart, to show on her nonexistent sleeve.

Title: Fallen Deep
Emotion: Apathetic (009)
Rating/Warning: Gets a little touchy in places subject wise, better to be safe than sorry. It'll help if you know the history behind both characters in understanding this too.
Author's Notes: Another one influenced by another damn song. *rolls her eyes* These are the lyrics to the song that inspired this piece. Again; I don't know for sure if I'm writing Trent correctly because this is a futuristic setting; Trent belongs to Ko_Inuyasha while R:2 and R:1 Sekai belong to me.

"Somewhere in time I will find you and haunt you again" "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)" - Kamelot




There was some kind of irony in meeting the shadow from her past in this place.

No longer was the statue of the girl in the cathedral and the place was more spacious, polished and somehow less painful than it had been the first several dozen times she paid vigil to honor Kira's memory. It had become a place between the assaults upon her person as a Player Killer Killer, a title she didn't even know she'd been given until three days prior to this one, and the battles she used to see if she still retained any sort of connection with this new "world". Her hair was still white, though she allowed it to become long once more rather than keep it short as she'd initially intended, eyes still amber... and her favorite color and majority of her attire in shades of green. Though... those were about the same things that remained from her former, weaker self.

She was older now, taller, less hesitant to speak her mind, wiser and much, much stronger in will than she used to be. A somewhat sad smile played upon her lips as she gazed upon the figure in familiar spiked black armor, the daikatana in hand and the triple helix blade on his back. The thin, white face with the solid black eyes, the thick unruly black hair that fell into his face and the sadistic, somewhat predatory grin of anticipation on his lips... was this the figure that had so plagued her in the past?

This man here, Trent, he had haunted her for more than three years within and without the game... and served as a reminder of that naive, emotional girl who wore her heart and her thoughts in plain view for everyone to see. That all seemed so very very long ago. Her blade against his, black against white and spells whirling in eddies around the room.

Her blood hit the ground like his own, staggering to her feet, she satisfied herself as she stared the embodiment of what she had feared in the face.

"You no longer have a hold on me."

"I will again soon enough."

She logged out in response, leaving the man to laugh, to plot and to lie in wait for the first true 'meal' he could find and exploit to his advantage. He would return, of that she was certain and in return, she would return again to fend him off. Though, part of her considered contacting an old friend of hers... and decided against it.

The three of them would meet once again on the battlefields; another war between them waged... this one without the terror or gullible heart she'd had before. ...though she would be down her greatest strength and her beloved as well this time.

Title: Time
Emotion: Tired (92)
Rating/Warning: Very sad, painful to write as well.
Author's Notes: This is how it all wraps up.


Somehow, the beeping of several machines monitoring her heart, pulse and vital signs was no longer intimidating like she'd once seen it as. The notepad in her hands, her favorite one out of all that she'd bought over the past years with the soft, cream colored paper with the scene of a traditional Japanese garden in the background. Light from day outside her window cast a soft glow against the paper as she tore her gaze away from the window facing east; away from the ocean she knew was only an hour's drive, if traffic was kind, from where she lie. Visiting hours didn't start for another four or five and most people visited in the evening hours; leaving her with plenty of time to do what she needed to get done.

The pen was uncapped, the smell of ink reaching her nose as she penned in the first of the names on her small list and began from there.

Mika,

Thank you for your friendship and support these past thirteen years. It has not been an easy time for either of us.. and I feel I must apologize for several things that I have done... that I have said in an unkind way. You will shake your head and tell me there is nothing to apologize for, that you understand and grant me leeway because of... the past events. This does not excuse my behavior and I am tired of the excuses... and tired in general but, you noticed this a long time ago.

In another world... and had I been more courageous than I am and used to be, I may have one day come to accept your feelings... perhaps have even learned to return them. For my inability to do so and for the pain I know it has caused; I am sorry.

Thank you.

- Fujimura Sekai

Good-byes were bitter in her throat and she couldn't bring herself to even pen the words 'good-bye' or 'farewell' in the letter, folding it neatly in her usual formal manner and slipping in the check along with it before sealing the envelope closed and writing Mika's name on the front. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, letting it out shakily as she turned her eyes almost pleadingly towards the the eastern window. Writing these were as painful as if she would have to actually look the person in the eye and actually say the words to their face.

"I never was very good at saying good-bye... or at saying anything really, was I?"

She asked no one in particular softly, the lump in her throat causing her voice to come out somewhat husky and choked up. A sudden coughing fit had her doubling over where she sat, hand pressed against her mouth and shoulders shaking violently as the monitor beeped and shrieked with her pulse and heart-rate climbing rapidly. The nurse entered in a hurry, guiding the girl to lie back against the support of the pillows and instructed her to follow her breathing. Hacking and coughing, she turned her head and spat into the basin she'd requested be put by her bedside in case of fits like these.

Black-red matter merged with rust-brown and green splattered against the plastic bottom and edge, the nurse hurriedly removing the offending thing from her sight as she ordered her to lie back and rest rather than strain herself. She knew what that meant; not turberculosis thankfully, that she would have kicked herself for catching... probably would have had other people kick her for it as well. The gurgle and rasp with every breath was the fluid slowly filling up and clogging her lungs; with the other signs she'd been exibiting? She was likely already past the contagious stage and hit the viral aspect of the disease. Lethargy attempted to steal her and wasfought off viciously by the young woman. Determination would only hold her for a little longer; and she needed to get these things written before she could allow herself to rest.

Conner,

Please take care of yourself, the Fujimura offer you a place here if you wish.

I will tell her you still love her.

Thank you,

- Sekai

He would understand what she meant... hopefully anyways, she thought to herself as she folded the letter into a more... familiar shape; a leaf. It'd be a common enough symbol to him, after all, they both knew the Juk element like the back of their hand. That went into the envelope with the check and was sealed as well; Conner's name and address printed neatly above the kanji the post office would need. When he did understand... well, all she could hope for was that he lived his life and tried to be happy.... or at least content.

Now the final letter... the one that would hurt. She found herself staring out the window for a long while, conflicting emotions warring within her chest and mind as she resigned herself to the simple knowledge that he deserved to know; especially after all he had done for her in the past. The pen touched the paper and she began to write what she needed, what he needed to know in, well, what was going on and why she had avoided contact with him even in The World since... well, since then.

Mike,

It still feels a bit strange to address you by your given name, you are still Ko_Inuyasha in my mind, or Ko as I ended up shortening your name to eventually during our adventures back in the old days. I am not sure exactly how to explain everything that has happened in the past years, the loss of contact and the oft cold shoulder or obvious stoicism I would use when we encountered each other in the revised, new version of The World. I cannot make any excuses out of it, I was selfish and I do apologize for any confusion or hurt I may have caused you.

It is good to hear that you have a family now, your son acts much like you in your younger days; isn't it funny that we're old enough now to actually say things like that? I hope your store is doing well, as well your family and health. Time certainly does move on with or without our notice and permission, doesn't it? Because you were the one I knew the longest, I felt you had the right to know and have the longest of the letters I have written because you have not been told things I very likely should have told you in person.

By the time you receive this letter though, or by the time Mika may or may not call you to inform you; I will no longer be in this world. I have not been well for several years now and my kidney is no longer the only problem. It is kind of funny to be writing this, I imagined myself in my sixties at the least before I would need to write any kind of letter like this. I did not say anything during our meetings within The World and in the scarce few we had outside of them because at the time I was afraid of what was to come.

It is strange though; I believe settling things with Trent have finally dispelled my fears concerning what will happen to me once I close my eyes. I am no longer afraid to move on and leave this body behind. The past year, I have been in the hospital on and off; have been here for three months now. This is not the place I would have chosen to pass on but, sometimes we have no choice in the matter and we must accept that which we cannot change. I am not longer afraid and my only regret is that I know my passing will have people I know grieving and sad; even if it is only for a little while.

Please do not be angry and please forgive me for choosing not to fight. I will be alright and perhaps, one day, we shall meet again in the afterlife. If I have not done so already; please accept my sincerest apologies and my deepest thanks for being such a dear friend to me- and while she would not admit it to you or to anyone else but myself, to Kira as well.

For all of the adventures, trials, troubles and triumphs we have endured together in the original world, in the new world and in this one as well; I thank you for your kindness, your encouragement, your wisdom and your friendship. Enclosed is a donation to assist in building your business to even greater levels, as well as a last investment and my final one as the Heiress to the Namino business line and a donation to be put towards your son and daughters' future; be it college or whatever they decide to do.

I wish you and your family the best of luck in the years to come; may fortune and happiness smile upon you more so than they have already.

Thank you,

- Namino Sekai

She moved the letter away as she leaned back, one arm lying almost unbearably heavy over her eyes, biting her lip to try and keep the tears at bay. Regret was an emotion that all the dying went through, and it was the regret that she would not get to see them all one last time, that she had chosen to do this on her own rather than make them endure the pathetic sight she had become. Managing to wipe the tears from her eyes with shaking hands, she folded the letter into a flat flower, one that would open up to reveal the contents before tucking it in with the checks she had written for his business and each of his children as one final gift.

Sealed, addressed and placed carefully with the others she had written, she had already sent one addressed to the Fujimura, though she suspected they knew why she hadn't called them in the past two days and one addressed to her mother and father granting them her forgiveness for their selfishness, for her own and for what her father had done to her, Sekai leaned back against the pillows that were supposed to help the fluid not build up in her lungs and sighed softly. She had lied a little; she was afraid of what was going to happen and she was afraid to die. But, it was alright; because that fear was acceptable and was one she embraced with the knowledge that she would be okay. Her head moved a little, looking longingly towards the ocean that she couldn't see beyond the mountains and closed her eyes to let her heavy body rest.

Quietly was how Namino Sekai had entered the three worlds and the lives of the people she had known; and quietly is how she left them all behind.

Title: Somebody's Getting Hurt
Emotion: Anger (009)
Rating/Warning: Pissed Kira is Pissed~
Author's Notes: Say hi to Battle Priestess.


Enough time had been wasted in this shit hole; despicable place full of false formalities and backhanded insults that shone like gemstones. Besides herself, Ciar was the oldest and, for a while, had been sort of a mentor to the then idiotically naive child she'd been. The one positive aspect about the Ani element's Priestess was that she knew when shit stank and needed to be dealt with swiftly and accordingly. The fact that her little one had been taken from beneath Ciar's careful watch while Kira attempted to beat reason into her mother and her court's skulls was an unforgiveable insult and crime that would not be dealt with lightly was the very reason Kira was even in this Merrows forsaken room in the first place and allowing the ladies in waiting to scurry about like goblins to finish preparing her for war.

Silver armor polished to a mirror's finish gleamed and reflected in all directions as the last of the laces and fastenings were jerked, fastened, tied and sealed into place, lines of ice emitted a mist off the armor, hazing the area where the woman stood as she watched her skin pale, receive a slight blue undertone as the ring was slipped upon her finger and the light weight but protective leg armor and the rest were put into place hurriedly. Outside the homeland of Merrows, storm clouds thundered over head and a decidedly cruel and furious smile touched the lips of the woman staring at her battle ready self in the full length mirrors in front of her. It had been more than three complete turns of the seasons in her world since she'd donned this armor and only less than half a turn of a season since she'd removed her blade from its place and used it.

The blade itself was wicked, measuring about the length of the start of her elbow to the tips of her fingers, gleaming sharp and smooth edged on one side with a serrated, slightly curved edge on the other. Near the end of the blade were two wicked prongs, both razor sharp as well and suitable for punching through armor; specifically that of the Heavy Axeman class. All in all, the weapon was about six and a half feet long, rather on the small side for a spear but more than deadly enough for her to wield and master. Not to mention her ability with it had taken down many an enemy in the wars she'd endured and fought in over the years. The fingerless gauntlets with their three triangle shaped sapphires on the back of her hand and the large crest of Merrows upon her breastplate. The filmy cloth, sacred and a show of high status amongst the Rue Royal Family was attached to the silver bracelets around her wrists and floated on its own behind her.

In a blur of silver and light, the mirrors shattered, glass tinkling and shrieking as she sent shards flying each and every direction against the stone floors and walls. Breathing heavily as blood trickled down a cut on her forehead and stung her eyes, the near insane smile on her face lingered as she summoned her spear and vanished from her 'home' to go and fetch her girl from a bastard she should have taken care of long ago.

She'd leave this son of a bitch dead as could be; even at the cost of taking herself out with him. Ko'd take care of her little one and she knew that Ciar would feel as if she owed a boon to her and also take care of the girl. The thought of his hands anywhere near her Sekai was enough to shatter every window in the twenty meter vicinity from where she stood. Ignored the screams and the yells of anger coming from those around her, Kira discarded the blue and yellow tie she used to tie her hair up and let the icy wind blow in and caress her.

It was time to shut it down, lock it up and prepare to hon it into a weapon that'd take this fucker down.

And there was no better tool and emotion she was more proficient with than anger.

Title: Always the Quiet Ones
Emotion: Triumphant (98)
Rating/Warning: A whole lot of silliness.
Author's Notes:



The three of them sat around, concentrated expressions on their faces save for one who sat as serenely as possible, a solid pillar in the middle of a storm as the woman with the lightest hair color carefully placed her last two on the large pile and sat back, daring the other two to say something as she nodded in satisfaction to herself and kicked back. She had this in the bag, no one ever was able to tell when she was faking it or not, a skill she had more than her fair share of pride in and one that had saved her through the years. The black haired girl glared at her, nervously looking over at the calm one between the two of them before waiting with baited breath to see if she got caught the same way she had when her turn had come. It was really between she and the other girl now. Who would win this hand?

"Two Aces."

Kira crowed with pride, a wicked grin on her face as she prepared herself for victory- only to have a pair of grey eyes staring her directly in the face; piercing and all knowing as the girl leaned over, placed her hands on the two cards she'd just laid down and calmly said the word that would spell the former AI's doom.

"Bullshit."

Jaw dropping in utter shock, dismay and even a bit of blatant indignant rage that someone so... so her would not only say the word but would actually dare to call her on something so much as a bluff! Lifting up the cards, the grey eyes lit up ever so slightly and her lips curved into an all too innocent and sweet smile as she lifted the jack of spades and king of clubs up before her before setting them into the pile and gently shoving it towards Kira. Her turn at last and the three cards she had in her hand were set down on the cleared space.

"Three Queens."

"Bullshit!"

Tied and glaring at each other, green eyes and blue eyes sent daggers at each other as they fought over the cards and looked down to see the truth in front of them. Defeat hung heavily in the air as Sekai collected all of the cards and began to shuffle as if nothing had happened, though the slightly smug and triumphant smile in her eyes said something else all together as she spoke to the two sulking girls in front of her.

"I believe that makes six games in a row; your bras are mine. Would you like to play another hand?"

Kira and Mika sulked, reaching back in the typical show of dexterity and removed the offending garments, sling shotting them over join the pile of clothes the still fully clothed girl sat beside. Mumbling something in agreement, the two of them decided to temporarily hold off their rivalry and double team the girl in this next round.

Because they'd be damned if it was always the quiet ones who'd win in the end.

Title: Her Own Prison
Emotion: Release (099)
Rating/Warning: A bit... on the darker side of things.
Author's Note: It's up to you all to decide who this is; I know who and I will not say. It's up to you to decide.



Sweat coated her skin, dripping and trickling as the steam from her body rose and drifted from her with every move she made. Twisting sharply in the middle of a jump, arm snapping out with the speed of a striking whip out to one side and above her head, leg swept beneath in a wide arc to brush against her wrist before landing again. The momentum turned her and she used it to her advantage, brushing her chest nearly to the ground and pivoting on one foot into a sweep back to full height. Her eyes were distant, blind to the sights and those who secretly watched her, in a place only she could see and the expression one of concentration and thinly veiled frustration coupled with the hidden desperation of one attempting to escape.

Manipulating her form around the air currents, purposefully moving and bending herself away from the flow of air around her, she skimmed her fingers upon the ground with closed eyes and imagined that it would rise up in various elements and colors around her form. That image was one she built in her mind; the spires and columns of elements around her rising higher and higher, twisting and warring with each other until they formed a cage around her ever-moving body. They twisted like her judgment, her sense of responsibility and her emotions. These spires and columns she formed into her own prison to cage her inside, to trap and lock her away in a feverish self-imposed clausterphobia to drive her to the brink of insanity once again, as she had been before and as she would continue to bring herself to. Twisted like the very heart she so detested with all her might. Yes, here in her self-made prison and cage was where she continued to seal herself away from others and from herself.

Her dance had created this nightmarish prison and only when the insanity threatened would the truest dance and truest battle begin.

Title: How Far We've Come
Emotion: Reflecting (97)
Rating/Warning: Yuri mostly, no reading if we don't like the female x female relationships.
Author's Notes: Kind of depressing? R:2 Sekai's reflections on Kira's death, memories and all in all the usual mess that goes about in her head. Some entertaining parts. And oops, didn't mean for it to get that long.



Losing the one you loved was never an easy process. Nowhere in their penthouse could she walk without catching a brief whiff of her beloved's scent or feel her presence for a split second right behind her. The pictures they'd taken on their honeymoon, their private wedding they'd held without a priest, with just the two of them exchanging vows before the eyes of God and in return, giving each other what belonged to them from the beginning were painful to look at. For a long, long while, she would put them face down so that she couldn't look upon them, look upon the face she wouldn't see again, that body she would never embrace and the eyes that she loved to see light up so much. She knew eventually she too would eventually face the same fate as her beloved had all too early in their short time together and embrace the end as well.

Be it willingly or not.

Two and a half years they had been given to be with each other as lovers and as wives; two and a half very short but very happy years filled with enough memories to keep her heart aching for the desire to have been able to create more. But it was enough to know they had loved enough for their lifetime in that amount of time and for her to cherish what she'd had with the woman. Sekai blamed God just as much as any other grieving woman in her position who'd lost the most important person in their life and eventually accepted that, even if it hadn't have been then, it would have been inevitable that the body would have rejected her completely.

After all, she had faced that same fate had she chosen to abandon her human form for that of the body within The World; even though they'd have died together that way and neither would have had to live without the other.

"As beautiful as you are in my world; I want the real you. The one you that you think is disgusting? That's the one I fell in love with and that's who I intend to be with. Understand?"

For someone who was supposed to be fully programmed but went off the program itself slightly, Kira had been surprisingly deep and human-like in her thought processes when it came to being romantic. One of Sekai's favorite things to tease Kira about had been the woman's surprisingly poetic side that she barely let come to the surface. Oh sure she'd get mad as hell once Sekai would start teasing her and sulk about it, but the girl had always appreciated and cherished those words within her heart and often wrote them down later when Kira was playing in the bath and splashing like a fish. And by splashing like a fish, she meant that she'd always yell at her lover to clean her damn mess up before one of them slipped and broke their neck.

Memories were all she had left of the woman, and some of her absolutely ridiculous little obsessive bit with her clothing being loose and not wearing anything but shades of blue and gold. Their rather passionate argument about the colors of their respective wedding clothing had brought the police to their door in alarm, the force actually busting down the door to see the two of them with locked arms and glaring into each other's faces trying to knock the other person off balance and pin them to the floor. As embarrassing as it had been, Sekai'd been rather pleased when they'd explained the situation to the head of the team and he'd teasingly informed Kira that the one proposed to usually called the shorts when it came to colors and left them with a rather lovely ticket and fine for disturbing the peace.

They'd framed that ticket and hung it up to laugh at on their wall.

Boxing up Kira's belongings had been the most painful part of leaving their home. Each article of clothing, every piece of jewelry, every photo frame and every scented lotion or bath salts or perfume only caused a new memory to show up and another gut wrenching burst of sobbing to leave her. Nothing of Kira's was thrown out and the clothing itself she especially kept with her, sleeping with a shawl that Kira'd positively loved in a powder blue wrapped around her at night and curling up in the woman's oversized bathrobe after she finished with a bath. The jewelry she would wear on special occasions, save for a pendant that Kira had claimed was her favorite, the hair clip Kira had purchased for her birthday and the ring her beloved had chosen personally for her.

Everything else went into storage save for those items and several of her personal favorite photos and frames.

She went to visit the grave by the sea quite often, a small, private polished marble stone she'd handed quite a sum to, sometimes greedy humans were a good thing to have, in order to be allowed to place the stone with her beloved's name on beside the water she loved so dearly. Sekai had teased her several times that the ocean had been Kira's first love and that she'd come second. Usually it wound up with her shrieking and spitting salt water out of her mouth and nose with a very smug blue eyed woman grinning at her from the rocks. Some smart ass comment of 'now both my loves are in one' or something similarly eye roll inducing was said before Kira would jump in to chase her around.

That grave by the sea would give her a connection to Kira, a way to sit in the woman's presence, even though she knew the former AI would be in the afterlife and likely was cursing her for coming so frequently and not moving on with her life, and just a way to have a quiet moment to herself. Volunteering at a children's center as a playground monitor became one of several part time occupations she would have and one of the few she'd actually kept after more than three months. One of the main reasons being that there was a positively lovely old tree with branches thicker than her waist was around at the widest part of her hips that dipped and offered shelter and adventure for the children.

The coma had affected more than just how she viewed the world and her maturing process; it was unspoken between those who still kept in contact with each other but, they all had something forever change within them.

There was no solid connection as there had been in The World with the Wood and Earth elements in the body she'd been stuck in but, there was still solace found in being connected with the earth and being in a wooded area. A sense of peace and of being home with comfort when she needed it. Gardening was wonderful and she found herself understanding the signs of the plants with some more book research and practice until it became instinctive to glance at something and know what it was and what the plant lacked. Instincts however, were things she couldn't quite explain. So much time had passed by that she'd been fighting to keep herself, Kira and the Freedom Fighters from death and danger that it became subconscious to look for exits to buildings and the easiest escape route to take in a crowded place.

It became second nature to keep on her guard and cast her very slightly enhanced sense of hearing and intuition about her to get a 'feel' for things and to look for danger if there were any.

Kira had forced the both of them into courses to 'whip these flabby bodies into shape' and because she'd been genuinely concerned about someone trying to take advantage of the both of them. Martial Arts, Tai Chi being the one Kira enjoyed the most besides taking the Naginata classes. It was an inside joke between them when she's signed up for Kyuudo; both of them taking back their respective weapons back into hand to bring one world into another once more. It was a favorite memory, she thought to herself with a smile as she released the string on her bow, watching the arrow sink into the inner ring away from the bull's eye with a slight eyebrow raise at the missed target, the both of them in one of the parks practicing the martial arts and one of them watching the other wield their weapon and relearn to using it once more in an untrained body.

The sun was setting over the horizon, the high schoolers around her packing up for the night and she would have to greet Conner once he caught a cab back to the Fujimura Shrine from the airport. The scarlet and gold sight brought a wistful smile to her face as one of the students shouted to her in farewell, turning her around and giving them a polite wave as was proper before turning back.

The pain, blood, and tears, the joy, love and friendship, somehow with the two stacked against each other in both worlds; they managed to even out within her mind's reflection. Packing her own bow and arrows into their cases, the young woman sighed in contentment and rose to her feet, turning towards the road to the place she lived and began to walk. It wasn't home, never would be home. But it was a place that welcomed her and that she welcomed her return to all the same. She hadn't gone home, wouldn't be able to until it was her time to leave this particular world behind.

Because going home meant returning to where her heart was; to where Kira was.

Title: Reality and Dreams
Emotion: Guilty (056)
Rating/Warning: Dark, definitely a little depressing. Higher rating for mentioning of naughty bits and implications of a sensitive nature.
Author's notes: Definitely set in R:2


For the fourth time that night she woke with a start, drenched in cold sweat with her heart racing in her chest. Swallowing hard against the tightness in her chest, in her throat, she pushed down the covers off her body and slid off the futon. Grabbing the long sleeved sleeping robe from where she'd left the garment crumpled to the floor and belting it around her person, she silently slipped outside and went to the wisteria covered oak tree as fast as she could stumble and run there. Heart in her throat and tears stinging her eyes, she pressed first a hand to the rough bark, then her forehead against the old trunk and let out a shuddering breath.

Both of them were drenched in blood, why the nudity didn't bother her was practicality's sake in her mind; in dreams, one was most vulnerable when they were wearing nothing. Each had blood on their hands, over their hearts, their mouths and in different places where the other didn't have such wounds. Hers on her thighs, the shadows that hid the most private of places on both of them, and from her eyes and ears. His against his temple, beside his liver, part of his chest, rib cage and his throat. The sky around them a violent sunset with black, oily smoke in the background with shadowed figures swallowed up one by one into that foul, rotted cloud as the dream progressed as their collective regret, their sins and their sorrow surrounded and choked them.

It didn't take a fool to recognize what that dream, that horror was reminding her of.

There wasn't a confession, a cleansing, a baptism or anything holy, sacred and forgiving enough to wipe the sins that haunted and stained their soul. No, she shook her head, no living human being, one who couldn't connect the dots in their stories or understand what they were saying, could offer the judgment or wipe that past from them. Only God could judge them and she sincerely wished, for his sake, for hers and for those whose lives that they had taken, out of necessity and lack of other option, and the ones who loved them who's lives had crumbled at the foundation; that God would be just and condemn them as seen befitting of their crimes.

She knew in time he would sense she was troubled, would come out of the guest room she didn't allow any other person who stayed at the shrine to use and wait for her to speak to him until they both were settled enough to return to their unease slumber. One look at the expression on her face, the way she huddled to one of the few beings that gave her enough peace to keep herself living a little while longer, and he would know what had brought her from her bed in the bitter winter's night.

Because with the both of them; dreams and reality tended to walk a very, very thin line when it came to their pasts and how they lived even today.

Title: Only They Could Hear
Emotion: Confident (28)
Rating/Warning: None really
Author's Notes: Kind of cute fluff mostly. Kira and Sekai's future together.



The only music around them was the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs, the seabirds in the distance with their shrieks and calls, and the rustling of the wind in the tree branches. They didn't need violins or pianos, didn't need anything human made for what they wanted to do. Despite his beliefs but listening to the will of the kami that was believed to be housed in the inner sanctum of the shrine he served as priest to, he gave the two of them his kami's blessing upon their union when they requested it. Both of them had been in traditional wedding kimono, one with her auburn hair pulled back into a formal but simple style while the other with her recently dyed blonde hair falling over her shoulders.

Grey eyes shone with happiness despite the shy, innocent blush that rose upon her cheeks as she reached for the other woman's hands. Blue-grey eyes glittered with thinly veiled embarrassment and, had any of those who'd actually known the woman been there to witness the private ceremony seen it, a sense of self-consciousness and fright that was definitely uncharacteristic of her personality. Their hands joined, holding a small bundle of the season's cherry blossoms as a picture was taken of the two of them, one smiling as if nothing had ever darkened her path while the other tried as hard as she could to look like she was entirely unhappy about the photo while her eyes lingered on the other.

After his blessing, he and the photographer watched as the two shed the heavy silk in favor of what lie beneath the three layered kimono; two matching gowns that hit above the shins in pastel green and blue silk that whipped around their bodies in the wind. As odd a sight as it was to his eyes, something about the way the taller of the two of them seemed so... unconfident when it came to something so simple as a dance was something almost amusing.

But the way the smaller of the two of them reached up and unbound her hair before offering both hands to the older one, the way she moved with such sureness and confidence in every move she made as she showed the other where to put her feet and where to go....

Something about the way the two of them figured things out and the dance became something more than just a traditional celebration had him pausing for a moment, wondering if these two were really human.

Or if the two of them had been sent by his kami to show him what love truly was in the form of two confident but unconfident young women pledging their uncertain futures together. Both of their voices ringing out amidst the sounds of nature in a song he didn't understand as they danced to a song only the two of them were fortunate enough to hear.-

Title: You're Still There
Emotion: Fear (96)
Rating/Warning: No warning really, may be slight OOCness from Ko's NPC; I can't write a creepy bastard the way he does.
Author's Note: Futuristic setting... or an interpretation of what could happen leading up to something planned. R:1 Universe obviously people.


In spite of the worst of the nightmares that had visited her during the night, Sekai was in a fairly light hearted mood as she traversed and explored the city of Carmina Gadelica with a sense of wonder and curiosity that came only to those who hadn't traveled very much in their lifetime. It had left her weak, nauseous and shaking, speechless with a terror that seemed to grip her very soul and strangle her from the inside out. No matter how she'd burrowed down into the blankets or how close Kira had held her to comfort her; she'd still been unable to rid herself of what had made her so cold that she'd been reduced to shivering violently in the woman's arms.

It had taken Kira the better part of four hours to get her to stop shaking.

Sighing and shaking her head, the short ends of the snowy hair tickling her cheek and chin, the young Archer refused to let such a thing interrupt a perfectly good shopping day and proceeded to head into the busier sections of the city. As long as she didn't act out of the ordinary, then she'd be okay and there wouldn't be any trouble from any of the players that could get them into trouble and in danger. Her eyes lit up, then turned wary at the sight of a bargain deal going on at the Item Shop; Buy 3 get 1 free on all Health Drink related items that day only. Subconsciously her mind reminded her of her dream even as she headed over to scope out what remained in the inventory and to check her GP to make sure she had the amount she needed to purchase sufficient supplies.

Walking with a bit of a bounce in her step for the first time in, well, this world that she could remember, Sekai smiled down at her purchases clinking together in their glass containers with a sense of pride. It was the first time really buying a bargain deal on her own and she was rather pleased with herself for managing to not only do it on her own, but to successfully work with the tested haggling system that was thought to be released in the next upgrade to the game. Rounding the corner on her way back to the Hideout, she couldn't wait to show Kira and tell her about the deal... and tell Zan-san and Raquar as well if they wanted to take advantage of the special day, she didn't pay attention to her surroundings and found herself smacking right into something cold, metallic and unyielding enough to send her reeling and staggering backwards in fear of losing her balance.

"I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention, did I cause any dam...age..."

She apologized with a hasty bow and straightened herself up slowly as her eyes caught on to the red ringed chain mail peeking out from heavily plated black armor that seemed to catch and absorb the light around it. Suddenly light headed and with her knees turning to water rapidly as the seconds passed by, her eyes moved of their own free will and traveled upward ever so slowly. The armor, the lack of visible weapon, the chill in the air that permeated every fiber of her being and began to twist cruel, icy fingers around her heart and spine, and last but not least as her head tilted upwards due to such a severe difference in physical stature; the fathomless eyes that held no light and the pale face cut into by hair that held sickly green light within the black color.

Her mouth went dry as a knowingly victorious and predatory smile spread across his lips as she met his eyes and held them for a moment. That gaze pinned her to where she stood more effectively than if he'd run her completely through with the blade she knew was there and trapped her against one of the walls. Panic burned within her chest, closing her throat and air refusing to get through as denial coursed through every blood cell in her all too solid body. Shaking her head slowly from one side to the other, a silent plea lingered in her eyes as she felt her heart begin to race, to beg for this to be a bad dream she would wake from at any time now.

His lips parted, tongue sliding against the top row of teeth and moistening the bottom of his upper lip, eyes lighting up ever so slightly at the almost inaudible moan that escaped from the girl in front of him, and widened his smile slightly. He could see it; the way her mind was steadfastly refusing to give in and let her deny what was before her very eyes and the slow realization that was starting to dawn upon her.

Of the sheer terror that filled her eyes a heartbeat later as the sound of breaking glass echoed in the air around him.

Her head shook frantically now, choked whimpers of unintelligible pleas rushing from her mouth as the slinking sound of chain shifting from movement sent her into a blind, reckless panic in her desperation to get away as fast as she could. Heart in her throat and blood thundering in her ears, she bolted forward and away from the Hideout without realizing that her chances of being heard, of someone interfering were more favorable if she'd continued in the direction she'd gone rather than turning around. Managing to duck beneath the hand that shot out for her throat, the thick rubber soled boots pounded heavily on the stone ground as she threw every fiber of her being into the one option she had left; get to one of the administrators to this bargain deal and get some kind of help.

Even though she would likely be the one in trouble due to her 'illegal' character data and her condition marked by the Freedom Fighters.

"Too slow little girl."

He crooned maliciously into her ear as a heavy hand grasped the back of her neck and held without mercy to lift her from the ground. Her struggle entertained him, the wild desperation in her eyes and the way she trembled even as she tried to pry his fingers off of her. There were uses for her, several actually and not just that she was an excellent food source either. Lifting a second hand to solidify his grip on her, to hold her from escaping before he would take them both from the city, she defied him once by letting one high, ear splittingly shrill scream into the air as long and loud as her lungs could afford.

Annoyance set in and he set her to her feet before dealing a swift, heavy blow that send her slight form into the wall to his right. Watching her crumple to a heap against the ground, he stalked slowly, playing like a cat would with an already wounded mouse, towards where she lay unmoving. Her eyes were still open and tears falling, breathing heavy as she trembled violently as his boots stepped into her line of vision.

He was not completely without his own brand of twisted kindness, the smile back on his face as he reached down, moved her hair from her face and whispered in a sickeningly poisoned sweet tone of voice.

"Sleep."

Her entire body stiffened as she opened her mouth to refuse, to plea and beg him to let her go before his fingers sought and found the nerve in her neck to send her slipping silently into the darkness-

She shook her head violently from side to side and shivered a little as she rubbed her arms to rid herself of the goosebumps. Once she returned with her purchases from the Item Shop, she'd have something hot to eat and drink to take the chill away from her... and maybe even have a sparring session with Zan-san or Kira again to take her mind off of things for a little while.

Dreams couldn't be real and she wouldn't speak of the fear. Spoken fears had a tendency to come true at the most inopportune times after all, Sekai reminded herself with a wise nod to confirm her thoughts and the sage-like advice she'd heard once before. With the Health Drinks in her arms, she headed back to her temporary home at the Hideout and began to round the corner that would take her to the path she needed to be on.

Besides, a dream was only a dream; right?

Title: Every Soul in the Room
Emotion: N/A
Rating/Warning: None
Author's Note: R:2 centric


When it became unbearable, she would do something most uncharacteristic and dress in outfits that she wouldn't have touched if her beloved had begged her to. Her own simple but tasteful style mixed with the current theme at whatever club she decided to visit at the time. Always in a shade of either green or blue mixed with black and adorned with gold or bronze if she decided to wear jewelry that night, her outfits were often stared at curiously but, there wouldn't be an eye on her outfit once she decided she needed to be out in the middle of it all.

Those were the times where the fire in her soul couldn't be contained any longer and she needed to release that harnessed flame within her before it consumed her entirely.

Sometimes one of them came with her, always they found the exits and routes of escape first before they would silently move through the crowd from opposing ends of the room to meet in the middle, stare at each other knowingly and lose themselves to that relentless rhythm singing within their minds and souls. One danced in sorrow, his life slowly devouring itself and taking toll on his physical appearance and body and the other danced in memory of a chase through the plains, through the battlefields and of the clean air through hair and fur alike. Even rarer was one who accompanied her, uncomfortable in the crowded atmosphere and probably none too happy with the reason she went to such a place.

For water and thunder, for shadows and forest,for forest and earth and for flame that cried out for their souls like a disappointed lover desiring their embrace once more. It would wind up happening in the more populated hours of the night, people would shrink away from the center as each of them loosed their inner selves out into the open.

Those people didn't understand and that was okay with them, they didn't need to when it came right down to it.

For that moment, despite the pressure of the eyes watching them from all sides, they were free to let the people they'd become inside an entirely different world loose into the air... even if the otherworldly and almost alien aura took them all completely and drove those who tried to imitate, to compete and join them away. Metal would flash in the flashing lights, bouncing off of them and into the walls and faces around them as their feet stomped a familiar trace and their voices, though drowned by the loud beats that vibrated their bones, rang out in the air in familiar battle cry, song or mourning wail.

Sometimes, when she was all alone and needed to bank the flames burning so brightly within her, she would pull the image of each of them in her mind within their preferred and respected element and dance until she couldn't stand any longer. Her former self could have attached to any and all of the elements if she'd so desired, but, with all the people she'd met, had come to love and to care deeply for; there had been no need. They were there with her in spirit; all of their hearts and all of their souls connected for just one brief and tiring moment that sent her collapsing to the floor in fierce, breathless joy that she couldn't match.

Namino Sekai may have been a maiden of the forests and a dedicated follower of the earth beneath her feet, but she had loved the sea and the storm, connected with the forest king and the predator in the shadows, bonded with the embodiment of a fiery spirit, and had, in her own quiet way, loved the one who spent his time in shadows and enjoyed the company of the troubled river with an unpredictable fork of lightning in his heart.

No, she was not alone when she danced out there without them beside her; they were within her heart and she could close her eyes and feel them there with her as if they all pooled their strength into an old battle that none in their group could find a name for.

That was why they had survived to begin with.

Title: Belong to Me
Emotion: Sick (87)
Rating/Warning: Dark and probably a little depressing, insinuations and subtle references peppered through out. Not for the judgmental.
Author's Note: Takes place in the R:2 timeline.


She disappears every couple of months or so and doesn't answer her phone. Usually they don't worry, always knowing when she returns, the scent of the ocean air and the way her hair would curl due to being unwashed, full of sand and sea water would show in her physical appearance. There'd also be a more resolved sense of calm and peace, like some inner turmoil was taken care of and she would smile more, relax a little and even start up a conversation or suggest a good place to go out to eat other than the usual places she frequented.

They don't worry about her when that happens, somehow her smiles seem to make the cruelty and the heavy burden ease off their shoulders even just a little. After all, they're connected in the same way and when one or more are unhappy, it tends to show and weigh heavily on their hearts just as much as on another's. Sometimes the absence is due to a doctor's appointment, and she's always bullied into showing them the physical result of the current blood work and series of tests to make sure she's not trying to hide her condition and progress from them. She'll laugh in her usual light hearted way that doesn't really hide her good natured irritation at having all the boys fussing over her health when she, in her opinion, is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

There are the occasions where she leaves her phone at home and doesn't come home for quite some time.

When she finally does come home, she's clean but with a darker aura wrapped around her. She won't speak, refuses to eat and essentially shuts herself out from the rest of the world for the next two or three days before she begins to recover. No threats or pleading are able to break through whatever shell she places herself in and she guards where she's been as if her life depended on it. Nothing anyone says or does brings her out of her room for those days, they enter to talk with her but don't get anything but a regret filled stare and a shake of her head before she'll rise up and go run herself a bath in her connected bathroom.

She speaks after her self-imposed silence and it's quieter than her usual soft spoken tone and somehow more defeated than she's ever been seen since the Twilight Incident back in the old days. Her request of them is to please leave the subject alone and buried where it should remain, and that she would respect their same wishes if so asked.

One person stands alone from the rest of them, though she too is concerned in an entirely different matter and usually winds up snappish and irritable those first few days. It churns her stomach late at night and she hasn't informed any of them of the ulcers she's been getting for the past eight months, though she suspects Sekai knows only because the girl is too observant for her own good. She'll go home alone that night and want to rip the sheets off her bed and burn down the apartment around her ears, let the fire burn the feeling from her flesh and purify her soul for what she's let herself become.

And how she's managed to drag her down.

She wishes that things were different and that it was out of choice rather than a sense of regret filled obligation and apologetic duty. It's frustrating to know her condition is all her fault, and that she's causing all of them to worry over the gentle spirited girl she'd fallen for in high school. In her spiteful moments, she even blames Kira for getting between the two of them and stealing her away before she could even convince Sekai to give her a chance. But she has no one to blame now but herself; and she's all too sure that Sekai holds enough of the self-hatred to suffice for both of them for what she does.

If she were a stronger person, Mika would order her to stop and only come if it were of her own desire and acceptance of what she offered her. If she were a better person with a purer soul, she would pack her things and go back to America and abandon all hope of ever having her feelings returned. If she were anything but human, she would be more happy with seeing the fond smiles and hearing the memories she had made with someone else than settling for having her once every so often for a little while in a sadistic game that only hurt the both of them.

If she loving enough, she would let Sekai go and stop holding her down and trying to force a reaction out of her each and every time they met.

Instead, she would continue having that time selfishly, without much regard for what it made either of them feel and would continue to cling to that illusion she held of being able to open Sekai's eyes to what she was missing out on.

She would continue to make the both of them sick with how needy she was and what she brought them both down and made them become.

Title: Long Ago
Emotion: Interested (65)
Rating/Warning:
Author's Note: Spoilers abound for those following Ciar's storyline as it's written and for those connected to the character herself. This is a glimpse into the past of the Ani Priestess long before she came into power.



It was one of the fields that had never been really completed, a relic of ancient times from an ancient battle not even her master's master knew about. Some kind of stone beneath the vast waters that flooded the area gave the ruins of the temple like structure and otherworldly glow from beneath. Shadows circled her ankles with every step she made, the heavily embroidered brocaded hem of her long full skirt was already showing signs of being weighted down by her explorations and the tips of her violet tinted ebony hair were soaked as well. Long sleeved blouse over a white collared undershirt was tied in front by an amethyst colored ribbon she could remove and tie her hair back at leisure... should she so wish to.

Access to a file previously hidden had provided them with a good deal of information that they'd quickly harnessed to their benefit; her class from Wavemaster to Whipmaster was completed and she controlled where her hand felt and where the tip of her weapon would strike. Her boots were filled with water and yet, she still didn't care. Too much on her mind to care about such trivial matters such as wet feet or clothing right then.

Rumors amongst the handmaidens were that Wryneck's High Priest was to choose his successor before the end of the season; only a handful of days left til the event. Choking back panic that threatened to climb up her throat, she raced atop one of the sunken columns, sounds of water splashing as her reflection chased her in the vast area of water, stone, light and shadow. Recently, running until she could no longer move had lost the ability to drive the sinking feeling in her gut, to make her forget a little while longer what the subtle hints meant.

Something isn't right. I have to find it; I need to find what I'm missing before it's too late!

The voice of her master rumbled in her ears, fondness in his voice as she imagined his hand atop her head to ruffle her hair gently as he reminded her of how her unique perceptions of their world were both a gift and a curse. He supposedly knew what she was missing, would reveal why when he chose his successor. No one could have mistaken that smile for anything other than for what it was; an unspoken confirmation of what she'd feared and, as pressure had built to uncomfortable heights within her chest, had quietly excused herself to attend to a pressing matter.

She, simply a servant to the handmaidens at his side, was to be named the next High Priestess.

Blurry vision forced her to slow down, to stand still with her chest heaving for air as she clutched at the place her heart thundered against the protective rib cage. She mustn't cry, to show tears was to acknowledge and open one up to a weakness that would become the end of her existence. Still, the tears threatened to follow and the sound of her ragged breathing echoed in the cavernous temple.

"You look like you're about to either keel over or burst into tears, what's up?"

She jerked, head whipping to the side as she felt her body go rigid and stiff in self-defense, ready to blast him and run if he made so much as one move off the pillar he was sitting on. After a moment of no movement, she examined him a little closer than before. An interesting man, his hair done in shades of soft white, grey and silver with black roots near the crown of his head. His outfit was black and charcoal grey in color, the patchwork of open fabric showing glimpses of pale skin that matched the rest of his unusual color palette. She looked down a little as he looked up at her and froze at the sight of vibrant yellow-green color that at once made him all the more alive and all the more ghost like at the same time.

She, one who chose to run from anything remotely of interest for fear of being discovered and having it destroyed or taken from her, found herself rather intrigued at the man who flashed a rather disarming smile at her and sat down on her column to study him from a distance.

"Who are you? A ghost?"

Another smile like the one he'd given her before, brightly colored eyes dancing in amusement and attracting her all the more.

"Not in the least, the name's Jillian. What's yours eh?"

A smile stole away her determination to stay expressionless as she gave a one shouldered shrug and flipped her hair over her shoulders.

"Ciar."

Title: Everything I've Learned
Emotion: Contemplative (30)
Rating/Warning: None
Author's Note: Pre-Juk, EC Centric and a general outline of some of the busy thoughts that go through her mind.



It would keep her awake at night, catching her off guard before she'd fall asleep or when she'd first wake up after a rare night of decent rest. All of it would come back to her, to wound and reopen scars that almost healed.

The fields they had gone to, those who'd been to those and so many more... how many painful moments had they experienced? Nemera's face, angry, wild and defiant, caught in the rage born and held from deep within her heart, the way grief filled her very being in those final moments.... Tiral's silent strength of character, subtle but unchallenged leadership, the quiet dedication and the utter lost, haunted look that nearly devoured the determination in his moments when the crystal fused together. Nemera's horror, Tiral's sacrifice, their horror and their own grim fates they'd attempted to fight, to thwart in order to bring about a more ideal future than the one stretched out before their eyes. How much blood was on their hands? How many lives ended now rested like burdens, sins upon their shoulders and their souls to weigh them down?

Everywhere now, here and there, it seemed to rely on the sacrifice of others. Of throwing someone under the train in order to further their own future regardless of what that thrown person had planned and would be expecting in their own. Was it true? Were all their lives truly made on the sacrifices of others in order for them to advance forward? Was there no other road?

Was this world any better? Or were they trying their best to emulate humanity's constant cycle of sacrificing those in their way to get what they need to survive, to get what they wanted more than anything in the world?

These thoughts would continuously wage war within her mind, replaying themselves over and over until she was so desolate, so lost that she collapsed into silent tears. There was nothing she could do, no answer out of her hours and hours of pouring over those questions.

There was no one who could give her those answers either; at least not one that would feel right to her and offer a solution like she so desperately wanted.

Title: Every Single Star
Emotion: Recumbent (083)
Rating/Warning: Rated for language
Author's Note: Omake, AU, Sci-fi-ish setting, Futuristic


Silence surrounded the woman standing in the middle of some deserted alleyway in the middle of the night. A blue-violet visor covering darker shaded eyes as she glanced around calmly, patiently and reached for the gun on her holster. The feeling of icy metal into the leather gloves was comforting, a heavy weight for her job title as dark blue eyes slid to the left and again to the right. Something that sounded like fabric in the wind softly rippled in the distance as a minute click served as her only warning to get the hell out of the way before a shot tore a chunk out of the concrete right where her ankle had been four point three-two seconds ago. Flashes of data scattered across her visor as it predicted as best it could the trajectory of the bullet as she returned with two bursts of fire from the handgun.

Thunder echoed in the empty area as she took off like a shot after the mild curse her tracers had managed to pick up. Must have nicked him with one, no way in hell she'd hit with that percentage given to her, she thought and kicked down the door to the warehouse with a heavy boot to the aluminum frame. Silencers on her handguns and on the ones she knew were around the area for them to use, he'd attached something else to one of his, thus the only reason she'd been able to dodge that damn shot in the first place- if he figured that one out...

Stay focused on the matter at hand, idle thoughts lead to idle hands and we all know where idle hands lead people.

She scolded herself and took off up the stairs, throwing herself behind an aluminum drum that had rusted in time as a shot smacked next to where her head had been, with a venomous curse slipping from her lips, she rolled out and fired from a crouch, breathing hard as she continued, firing after the figure disappearing into the shadows around the corner and chased him down only after her clip had run dry. Jamming a second in there after ejecting it, the black haired woman zipped around the corner, visor's sensor suddenly flashing red with an arrow pointing to one side, meaning he was behind her, shit.

Whirling around, she aimed the barrel of her guns at his chest above his heart and his forehead, pressing firmly and ready to squeeze the trigger before something hard hit her in the left kidney and exploded outward, a second shot ripped through the large intestines and a third took her heart and blew out her chest cavity for the world to see as the visor flashed in warning again and went black.

“Disengage scenario.”

She sat up, completely disgusted with the result and spat to one side, much to the comical response of the controller of the training room yelling at her not to do shit like that because he'd just finished cleaning that room to a spotless, germ-free area. Yanking the loosened tie out of her hair, the black length fell a little past her the middle of her shoulders, unevenly cut and in a messy just-out-of-the-salon-or-shower look that accentuated the untamed expression in her cold blue eyes, the woman pulled it back again and left it in the semi-messy ponytail for the time being, unable to give a real shit or two at the moment as she glared at the black haired man removing his visor and examining himself for bruises from the training session.

There was a massive chest bruise she knew was going to really hurt in the morning, same for the stomach and kidney, not to mention her knees, palms and everywhere else she'd strained in the exercise. Blowing her bangs out of her hair, she didn't bother waiting for him to speak before she stormed out of the room, throwing the visor back on to the table she'd received it from.

As an after thought and in a fit of temper, the empty holster and the gloves followed suit, slamming into the wall with enough force to dent the plain plaster and dry wall. Barefoot and unable to give a shit at the moment, the woman in a white work out tank kicked the door open to the outside and let it slam shut behind her before storming off to the abandoned parking lot signaling the end of the headquarters' hidden 'base' or whatever the fuck they wanted to call it these days. She didn't even get seventy feet from the door itself before his hand caught her around the bicep and held his ground, spinning her around to face him for the third time in as many weeks.

“Aren't we a bit old to be throwing a tantrum?”

“Let. go.”

She bit out in response to his question, not giving him time to deny her demand before her hand caught his wrist in warning and tightened, prepared to throw him before he caught her wrist with his hand, an eyebrow raised in amused challenge to see what she'd do. Glaring into shade covered eyes, she let some of her temper surge in, power forming as her eyes began to lighten, changing color as gold began to seep in through the edges of her irises, rapidly devouring blue until they started to eat at the black of the pupil.

“Enough, of all people, you should know that I will not be intimidated by someone using only .0001% of their nano-enhancers.”

Her lip curled in response to the blatant insult and read out of what she doing, eyes solid in hue, fiery amber as she released his wrist as if he'd burned her and pried his hand off of her own.

“Why did you drag me back here? Our partnership dissolved the moment that truck hit our target, so did everything else. I'm clearly off my game and out of shape if you were able to take me out that easily.”

A patient, long suffering sigh was her only response, the one he'd make when he clearly thought someone was being moronic and was too utterly exasperated to tell them so. Black eye would be nice, save it wouldn't make him look any worse for wear or any better, she bitched to herself mentally and turned her head to one side to look away from him.

“You've got the rookie in there and you've got Tech-no-Geek in there as well, the hell do you need me for? TnG knows that case as well as we do, if not more.”

“That rookie, as you've so kindly nicknamed him, happens to be human and utterly incapable of the feats we are capable of unless he injects the first round into himself. And we all know how I feel about a transference.”

That almost brought a smile to the woman's lips. Almost. They both had come to accept that, despite different histories- he being born with the doctors injecting the nano-enhancers into his blood and continuing the development from day one and she with being abandoned at ten weeks on the step of the same hospital when he was, well, she didn't know how much older, not much all things considered. Regardless, she'd been injected from that point on as well, the both of them growing up with the tri-weekly injections, the sicknesses and adaptations that manifested afterwards. As a result, they considered themselves “born” the way they were, rather than transferred, as the common term for the enhancement of a human into... whatever they were named was called.

“I trained that rookie myself, though I highly doubt he would call it 'training' or even the human 'boot camp.' Regardless, I came to you because you will work with him as your new partner, think of it as a fresh start.”

She hated that convincing tone in that poisonous mouth of his. Hated it.

“And if I don't?”

Her hair went from black to silvery-blue, the color of evening shadows on virgin snow, in seconds and her eyes lit from within, glowing in the continuing twilight. Skin cooled, mist drifting off of it from the heat of the arriving morning as two clashing temperatures gave off the typical reaction and slight crackling could be heard from the hand she had hidden behind her.

The blow was almost too fast for her to dodge. Almost, she'd lied about how far she'd let herself go and blocked with one hand, stabbing for his throat with ice crafted blade-like talons armoring her hand and wrist. His hand caught her just above the ice mark, twisting and sending her crashing to the ground as her ankle hooked his leg and took him down with her. His advantage was pure strength and solid muscle, though clearly she'd been working out more than she'd used to even back then, figured she'd keep herself in top shape for a 'just in case the bastard returns' scenario. Pinning her in a particularly favored humiliating way brought back old, though entertaining memories from back in the days where he'd put up with her for his own amusement in the off-hours... and when they'd become a lethal, nearly unstoppable force during their assigned missions.

“I corrupted you, as you so eloquently called it, once already Asorain, do not tempt me to do so again. You will work with him because he is unfamiliar with the mannerisms of the target and with what my sector is truly about. Show the 'rookie' how the 'veterans' handle things, so to speak.”

His eyes were completely black, no pupil, no sclera. Shit. She'd pissed him off, not that that wasn't old news already, she was rather efficient at making the son of a bitch lose it on a few occasions merely by hitting the right buttons accidentally... and on purpose. Oh alright, she groused to herself and yielded, for the moment, waiting until he rolled off and brushed the dust off of his coat before she belted him one in the face. He took it as he always had, this was an old routine as the bruise blossomed beautifully for a mere five seconds... and vanished, healed due to the enhancers in his blood. Bastard always humored her, though he'd told her once with a straight face that he was a masochist when he chose to be and only allowed himself to get hit when he was in the mood to be in pain.

Even now she couldn't figure out if he'd been kidding or not.

“I am not 'fooling' around, 'Kira' needs to come out of retirement at my request.”

She snorted, staring up at the sky as the mist rolled in, thicker than the shitty soup still served in the cafeteria section of the corporation they used as a disguise for their true profession.

“And who is requesting she come back out of retirement?”

The expression and slow, sadistic smile that had even creeped her out and sent her on edge returned as he looked over his shoulder on his way back into the building and replied with three words before being swallowed up by the lingering shadows in the area.

“Your old partner.”

Stunned and more than a little taken aback, Asorain, no, Kira stood there, frozen to the spot for a long, long moment as the fog and mist came in at an alarming rate, swallowing the atmosphere and turning visibility from shit to liquid tar. She looked at the building, the small twinkling lights slowly but surely being mist engulfed, just like her past, just like the last case she'd been on and the night that whole thing had happened.

The mist engulfed every single star.

She sang to herself as she noticed the rookie coming out, looking distinctly displeased about whatever the smiling asshole had told him probably, and smiled at him to creep him out... or piss him off, whichever happened first. He started in towards her and stopped when she turned her back on him and walked right into the mists.

Just because she'd accept this didn't mean she was going to make it easy on the son of a bitch. They'd be playing on her terms, first one being he had to show he could keep tabs on her.

If that were possible for anyone besides that rotten son of a bitch who'd backed her into a proverbial corner.

Title: Moonlight Shining Down
Emotion/Theme: Celebration
Rating/Warnings: Spoiler warnings for Zan's storyline and for Sekai's. Set in R:2 timeline.
Author's Note: Bittersweet with a heavy touch of melancholy from Sekai's PoV on an important event in someone very dear to her's life.



The day she'd received the phone call from Conner had been one of the most wonderful in her life, his voice more than a little smug mixed in with the typical male pride and ego of getting what they'd wanted from the beginning. But the joy and contentment, the happiness she could feel just from the warmth of his voice from the headset she'd taken to keeping with her in case a call came through while she was working or at the shrine, came through like nothing else. Three words had been all he'd been able to get out before Cara'd said something rather derogatory about the place she was calling to make reservations and made the three of them laugh.

“She said yes.”

After a few minutes of teasing over long distance, she'd let the two of them go, especially when Cara's temper flared at whoever was on the phone line she was on. Much to her delight and minor bit of surprise, she was asked to be a part of the wedding party itself and took a trip out to America to assist the bride to be with her preparations and arranged what she could when she'd returned to her home in Japan. Two weeks before the wedding, and five days before she left for an extended visit over there in Japan... and the ever infamous 'bachlorette party' that Sekai was more than looking forward to, just because she and Cara had a tendency to make her protective family member rather nervous when they were talking and looking in his general direction, the young woman took one of her long trips out to the ocean to visit Kira.

The dress she wore was white with dark ribbon along the capped sleeves and the scoop neckline, one of Kira's favorites to see her in when the woman had been alive. She sat beside the granite rock before the brass plaque and marker beside the sea, fingertips lovingly tracing the kanji that made up Kira's human form, and the katakana that had served as her true name, the one she'd come to love being spoken.

“Ne, he finally worked up the nerve to do so. I was worried that you were going to win that bet and that Cara-san would bludgeon him with a chair or hit him with his own motorcycle before proposing to him first.”

The breeze picked up ever so slightly, the tangy of the sea air teasing at her braid as the afternoon sun peered through the partially cloudy but pleasant sky. A small smile ghosted itself against her lips as she shook her head, watching her fingertips trace the name again from old, old habit that she didn't mind.

“I'll wish them well for you too, though I'm more than sure you'll find a way to let them know yourself.”

Her hand idly reach up, removing the hair tie in her braid and running her fingers through the length, undoing a snarl here and there as the wind picked up, tossing the chestnut waves this way and that as if playing around.

“I leave in the morning, I won't be able to come back til a little while after the wedding because I'm going to help see them off on their honeymoon trip. Conner and Cara-san are both going to want to cheerfully murder me for sneaking behind their back and paying for the entirety of it but, that's a death I know I won't mind. Perhaps I'll get lucky and manage to act surprised when they figure it out.”

Not likely but, as a woman who donated frequently, and anonymously, to charities left and right... she wanted to help them celebrate in some way, giving them a place free of worry, free of expense troubles was the very least she could do for the both of them. Had Nii-san waited like a good boy, she'd have done the same thing to him. His reaction would have been hilarious too, the set to his jaw, the glare in his dark eyes as he contemplated whether or not Kira would have been pissed enough to attack him if he'd thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of rice yet again.

Then again, he probably just would have gotten his, admittedly justified on several accounts, revenge by just swinging Kira over his other shoulder like a bigger sack of rice. Sekai wouldn't have put it past him to do such a thing considering his rather obnoxious habit of dropping in unexpected on her while she was carrying something almost as big or bigger than she was to or from the shrine and picking her and her parcels up as if they weighed nothing at all.

Which, for a one hundred and ten pound girl, was rather insulting; especially when she was carrying half her body weight or a little more with... only a little trouble.

With one last caress and a kiss left against the bronze plaque with her beloved's name, Sekai rose to her feet with a whispered farewell and began to walk. The sun had begun to set already, filling the sky with blues and violets as the wind picked up to toss her hair and damp dress around. A smile, soft with love and warm affection as she continued towards the car she knew was waiting up there, the taxi driver probably wondering what in the hell was wrong with her, spread across her lips as she walked up the stairs, careful not to over stress herself in fear of falling ill before the wedding.

“I'll see you there.”

*

The wedding ceremony had been beautiful beyond measures, the full moon rising up larger than she'd ever seen before as the forested mountain lodge hosted the joyous occasion. Cars both personal and rented filling the area as music played and the couple danced together. After the traditional dance between the bride and groom, others cut in on occasion to have a chance to razz, as the popular saying went, one of the two about the honeymoon or share an embarrassing memory or seven with the rest of the crowd. Sekai danced with both of them, making the happy groom more than a little nervous when his bride and lumen, as he'd called her in the other world, whispered between the two of them and were nearly cheek to cheek when they'd glanced over at him and burst out laughing.

The party eventually moved outside, people dancing, celebrating without a care in the world beneath the amazingly clear, star filled forest illuminated by moonlight. Cars blasted music from the same stations as couples and people hooking up solely for the occasion danced beneath the light. Her numerous medications gave her a ridiculous need to lie down for a little while inside the car she'd rented for the occasion- and she'd given Conner her “don't you start” look when he'd seen that she'd had to boost herself up in order to see over the steering wheel of the American made car- and when she'd woken from the slight dozing that served as a cheerfully hated side-effect to two of them, couples had settled down save for the two of them. The doors open to let the mountain air in, Sekai had quietly sneaked out with the thicker blanket she'd brought and a pillow before pausing a moment as a particular song she'd known them both to love came on the radio from their... well decorated car.

Her breath caught in her throat as she watched them dance with one another, heart swelling with emotion that she couldn't name as their figures slowly blurred, the wind stinging the tears on her cheeks as she quickly dabbed at her eyes and slipped away to give them their privacy. The forest wasn't hard to navigate, especially in the moonlight as it was, and she found herself a nice little grove that gave her a positively gorgeous small hill/cliff-side view of the valley and city beneath them with nothing but sky and trees and the moon around her. Clover and grass was pleasant as she settled her blanket and pillow against the silvery trunk of a tree she didn't know the name of and walked to a safe point on the hillside to look out at the scenery.

“It was a beautiful wedding, I think you'd have loved it. You always did love places where civilization was a little further out of reach.”

The lump in her throat grew as she closed her eyes, face upturned to the light above her as she drew a shaky breath.

“I know you're there,”

She whispered softly, the hair on the back of her arms rising up, tears glimmering as she fought the urge to cry on this happy occasion, the Gods from both their Worlds that she'd done more than enough of that at the ceremony. It was a selfish thing to mourn when she should be more than overjoyed, celebrating with those two over finally getting their acts together and, as the saying went, tying the knot.

But, God help her, Sekai wanted her to be there.

Her arms wrapped around her shoulders, goosebumps breaking out across her body as she closed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. This was a beautiful place, she told herself, the trees illuminated by moonlight, the mountain terrain and the overview of the city several miles below her on this cliff edge she stood on. Open sky and fresh, crisp air one only found in higher elevations and in rural areas... and the feeling of serenity that came from being surrounded by unbroken, untainted land.

“I miss you, of that you're aware I'm sure.”

She stepped away from the cliff, returning to the tree she'd dropped her things beside and wrapped herself accordingly before leaning against the smooth bark. Resting her head against the tree, she turned towards the place she'd just left, a light smile on her face as she spoke softly again, voice slightly huskier as her eye sight blurred.

“If I had known, I would have come there sooner, maybe then we'd have had just a little while longer.”

She closed her eyes, the burn beneath the lids almost relieved by the action as she took a shaky breath and continued talking to her, uncaring of anyone who may or may not have been in the immediate vicinity.

“I know... that you're likely annoyed for not moving on in the way that you would expect me to, but,”

Sekai shook her head, reaching up and undoing the simple clasp that held her long hair up, finger combing through the auburn waves as she sighed a little, trying to figure out how to explain it without sounding like she was making excuses... or without making it sound like she was something out of one of those terrible romance novels that Kira had more than enjoyed laughing herself sick at. Maybe saying nothing would work? No, she thought to herself with a shake of her head and a quick peek at the moonlit sky above her before resting her eyes once more.

“You know how you said there were people who just... how was it that you worded it again, complimented one another I believe it was? That looked and felt as if they came in a set that couldn't be completed without the other.”

That sounded about right, perhaps not 100% on the mark but, good enough to get her point across.

“I can love people as they are, as they can be and what they could be... their potential and all of them without exception. I may not like the way they do things in life but... that doesn't mean I love them any less.”

She could feel the bark against the back of her head, gentle, but firm pressure against her scalp as she sighed again, finding herself more than a little amused at how much of a habit she'd made sighing into as of the last three or four months. It was hard for her to be able to say, was even harder because of the circumstances she put herself through, as unhealthy as they were, but... Kira needed to know and she needed to say it aloud.

“I can't love another the way I love you.”

Sekai smiled, the effort almost too hard to manage as she took a shaky breath.

“It was shorter than I wanted it to be, than I thought it would be. But; it doesn't change things at all. You are the one I love, the one I exchanged my vows with and the one who's ring I will always wear.”

She allowed the tears to fall, to stream down her cheeks and to land against the blanket covering her small shoulders.

“I will see you again, undoubtedly. We'll renew our own vows and watch over those we love and care about; just like in this world and the one we met in.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, the wind brushing gently, with a chill she could feel in her bones despite the pleasant temperature of the area itself. The words she and Kira exchanged that private morning when the sun rose, the dance upon the cliff and the confused expression on the Shinto priest's face when he discovered the two of them and after her request, as obscure as it had been, given the Gods' blessing, the memories of the time where the two of them celebrated their union that night and the memories of the moment where their rings had slipped upon their final resting places upon their fingers; matching rings and an unspoken promise between the two of them.

“I promised you that day and even when we meet again, I'll still keep it.”

She could feel herself drifting off, the lethargy that came with muscles becoming heavier, responding less to her commands and the way her thoughts were slowing down. Her breathing turned shallow, let itself deepen as she smiled at the way the light of the moon illuminated the area, seemed to go through her eyelids and fill her heart and mind with pure, clean light.

“Congratulations you two; may your lives be long, healthy and filled with peace; you've earned it.”

Title: Beloved Wife
Emotion: Grief
Rating/Warnings: Language
Author's Notes: Kira's small but powerful funeral held after her death in the wake of the fire that destroyed 80% of “The World”'s data. Definitely depressing. Written while listening to Natalie Merchant's song of the same name. Apologies if anyone is OOC!



There was no peace in death.

All that remained was the dust, the ashes that remained of her bones within the urn placed upon the solemn, black altar with her human name carved into the grave marker that would serve as a headstone for her family. A second one was being carved out of something that would last longer, that would not fade as easily and would be placed at her favorite place at the sea. Quiet murmurings, exchanges between those who had flown out to attend the formal custom... people who had met her at her full glory and strength in a world that few knew the truth behind. People who may have run into one another, those who had traveled together or who didn't know one another in the least. And then there were the snakes, tasting the scent of vulnerable prey hiding within the shadows and just waiting to be uncovered.

Waiting to expose her to the media's unforgiving, critical judgment for gossip and profit.

Murmurings silenced, a heavy trepidation and impatience amongst the snakes hidden amongst the rest of the small group, grossly out of place and as hidden as a sunflower amongst orchids, as those who came turned their attention away from the portrait of the blue eyed young woman staring out at the crowd defiantly with a small smirk upon her lips to one another. Something, an unusually silent communication given with full understanding, passed between those who belonged there as they waited.

Their patience was soon rewarded by the sound of whispering silk, of wooden sandals against the polished wooden floors of one of the chambers within the shrine.

The snakes raised their heads, glass eyes gleaming as they prepared themselves to strike, to sink in their fangs and spread their poison. A wretched creature their prey must have been, the scandals that had trailed them until they had vanished from the face of the earth, protected by several individuals whose voices were within the crowd in front of them. Until they had returned, revealing the one they sought today as the chosen heiress to the Fujimura Shrine with the deceased standing at her side as if she were a samurai guarding her lady.

Swathed in the kimono of the widowed, the mourning as black as the mysteries of death, her chestnut brown hair pulled into a formal, modest bun at the nape of her neck as she walked- no, strode- to the small podium that had been set up in a combination of Eastern and Western funeral traditions. This was no wretch, no hollowed husk ready to be devoured and destroyed before the eyes of the Gods and those who stared greedily, absorbing the articles written. Her posture was straight, gaze direct and her head raised proudly, defiantly as storm cloud grey eyes, clear, strong and kind but filled with a powerful grief, of the sorrow of one who had lost their world in one moment swept over the crowd and seemed to commit every person's face, their expressions, to memory before she cleared her throat softly and began to speak in slow, carefully pronounced English.

“The Lord is my Shepard; I shall not want...”

Unease rippled through those in the back, those who didn't belong there, suddenly felt as if there were unseen eyes, unknown forces building within that room with every word she spoke. When the Psalm of David was finished, the young woman gave a common dedication to the deceased in Shinto funerals in her native tongue. Again her eyes swept through the room, pinning one of the particularly persistent reporters who often contributed his garbage to several magazines to his seat with her gaze before she let it drift to note the rest of them. For a moment her head lowered, as if she needed a moment to compose herself, and rose again.

“Those of you who have come and offer your condolences, your support in this difficult time, I thank you. However, this... is a time of grieving, of those who have known Sakuya to remember her fondly and with no bitterness or ulterior motives.”

A flinch from several of the individuals in black suits signaled that her verbal arrow had hit the intended target, the smaller group looking nervously amongst each other as the people up front turned slightly to stare hard at them. The unusually assertive young woman spoke again, her voice softening from the firmer one she had used before.

“Those of you who are welcome, please follow me and answer the question that is asked of you.”

One by one they filed in a single line, some murmuring to one another, others staying silent as they were asked a question, led off to one side away from prying ears before the individual was either turned away kindly or welcomed into the room the former heiress to the Namino fortune had disappeared into. The door would open and temporary views of a much, much more sober, traditional dedication to the dead could be seen before it shut and with it, any kind of sound possible. Frustrated and wondering how in the hell an old couple and a mere brat could have thwarted them so completely, the reporters settled to wait in the first room, sharing a cigarette or three amongst each other and talking about their different articles and cross referencing sources they'd talked to.

She waited until the doors didn't open again, her back turned away so that a sneaky reporter leaning precariously to try and catch a glimpse of her. When the door shut the final time, a small series of finger-like tappings against the wood signalling that all was safe and well, she allowed her shoulders to drop and loosed a long, tired sounding sigh.

“They're going to be pissed about your rather overwhelming success at fucking over their plans, you know that.”

Sana asked, looking more than a little tired herself, anxiety filling her expression as she looked at the guests and at the doors to the closed off room. The girl rubbed the back of her neck wearily, not responding as she moved away to settle at the proper place one in her culture was supposed to be; seated next to the black and white chrysanthemum wreath and the framed photograph of Kira's human self settled next to one of her true form from “The World”. She sank rather gracefully, years of training for such a feat likely beaten into her as she rested her knees comfortably into the black cushion and sat, back straight as was proper and let herself breath a little more normally.

“Kira would have beaten the hell out of them,”

Sekai replied softly, the unspoken 'if she were here' more than apparent in her voice. A light smile on her face that didn't quite hide the grief in her eyes as she looked at the photographs. Clear longing mixed heavily with sorrow as she let her gaze take in every single detail in the pictures. It wouldn't be an eternal parting, she would see her beloved again. Eventually. But... the time she did have until then... No, Sekai decided firmly with a mental shake of her head, the time to think of such things wasn't that moment. Her period of grief would come later, when those who had come so far were safe in either their hotel rooms or in the rooms generously offered by the old Fujimura couple who had so graciously taken Kira and herself in with absolutely no issue about their relationship. Their assistant priest had even been the one to bless their union, performing the sake exchange without the blink of an eye and told the both of them that the Gods made it obvious in the long run.

Even if the long run... had only been five very short years.

She did well, keeping her composure for the most part even when Conner and Cara had made their appearance with the rest of those who had arrived. As a good hostess should have, she'd made quiet conversation with each individual, noticing that Takua-san, or Colin... though she called him Takua still after the... rather embarrassing incident in which she mixed up his name with something else, seemed too pale, too gaunt and like he wasn't sleeping well. Though he had mentioned his medication had been increased again but that the increase was rather effective. Even Nii-san had shown up despite a busy schedule with his family and restaurant. The people who had shown up that had known Kira, the two of them, the memories she knew were being exchanged and that remained alive... even when their source was nothing more than ashes, twisted metal and blacked concrete.

Just a little longer, just a little more and then she would be free to indulge in her grief away from the eyes of those around her. She was a private person, even if she was rather proficient at wearing her current state of mind and her heart on her sleeve. Something like this... was what she wanted to keep private, just for herself because... because she was going to be horribly loud and didn't want to cause the others worry... not any more than she already had..

The last guest had been escorted to their quarters or to their cab, leaving the small, 19 year old girl alone with the portraits of her beloved as she reached up and removed her hair from the bun. The chestnut locks fell to the middle of her back, still slightly damp as she loosened the obi ever so slightly, more breathing room that way, and stared quietly at the incense burning at the altar next to the real container that held her ashes.

“I managed it.”

Tears slipped free after her broken whisper, head bowing as she buried her face in her hands and wept openly in the privacy of the sound proof room. Shoulders shaking, sobs wracking her body as she curled into herself. No more restraint, she allowed herself to grieve, to let her heart shatter and let it manifest openly. It wasn't fair, she yelled at the former AI, it wasn't fair for her to go off and leave like that. The ocean air, the wave that swept over them, retreating along with Kira's final breath as she held the empty form, both bloodied, soaked to the skin and only one of them even remotely “there”.

“You weren't supposed to go somewhere I couldn't follow! Remember? We made that deal!”

Her fist pounded against the floor, angrily as she brushed the tears away.

“You were s-so insistent about that promise! You broke it!”

Her face crumpled and the cycle began anew, long, immeasurable periods of violent, sickening weeping broken by hoarse yelling, fits thrown before she would cry all over again. Dazed and more than a little disoriented by the way her surroundings had finally changed and that she was back in her room, the same one she had shared with Kira. Her eyes landed on the empty, made up side of the large futon and filled again. The faint, subtle scent of the perfume and soap she had used still lingered on the pillow, on her side of the bed. She grabbed it for dear life and held it to her, inhaling and sobbing into it, muffling the sounds as her body convulsed around the feather filled object.

Why?

She slipped away silently while the others were still sleeping, silly Americans and their jet lag, she thought with a sobbed out giggle, sniffling as she watched the scenery pass her by in the car she'd called to meet her on the corner of the next street over. The ashes were in the urn, in her hands as she watched over the next three hours, found tears rolling down her cheeks as memories filled her mind, tormented and lightened her heart. Good times, bad times, hard times, fun times... all of them were there and continued a neverending cycle.

The ocean dispelled the last of the cloudy haze over her mind as she walked forward, almost entranced by the smooth pull and ebb of the waves in front of her. The rocks didn't hurt her bare feet, didn't seem to effect her pace in the least as she stood at the end of the rocky area that jutted out into the ocean. One of these days, she thought to herself as the sea breeze stung at her swollen eyes, whipping tangled hair into her face, the ocean would swallow this little piece of land, this place where the headstone she had custom ordered for her would rest.

“I love you,”

She said quietly, looking up into the threatening clouds overhead, a distant sound of thunder in the sky as she closed her eyes, feeling the entire area around her with all the senses she could strain. Her hands moved on their own, removing the lid from the ashes and threw it- and the urn as well- high into the air. The wind caught them, spinning, swirling as the ceramic crashed into the ocean with a splash. The ashes within it, those caught by the wind as well, would set her free and returned her to what she loved the most about the woman; what really made her spirit as beautifully fierce and wild as it was.

Sekai watched lightning fork in the sky, striking the sea as the winds changed position, almost like they knew she was waiting for something, for a sign of some sort and pushed against her. Pushing her back towards the shore as the waves increased in size and intensity around her. Thunder roared as something caught her attention, made her turn around to look at the shore in shock. Several figures stood, she recognized the always slouched forms of the paparazzi and yet, she ignored them in favor of those who were silently waiting for her in their own group, just like they'd banded together as a party within “The World” at the base of the jutting, rocky area she'd walked out on to.

Two of them stood closer than anyone, something within her heart aching terribly with affection, with gratitude for the family she and Kira had created themselves by quietly pulling in the people around them. Mike... Ko... her Nii-san was standing on the left, Conner... Zan, the one who'd guarded her back when Kira and Ko had been unable to, another Nii-san to call her own, standing on the right with Cara slightly behind him waiting as well.

A teary smile was given to the group there, the rest of them standing on the beach, all with a similar expression on their faces as they waited for her... as they always had been even back then. Always the slow one, she thought she could hear the wind tease in Kira's voice, she wiped the tears from her eyes and walked back, carefully picking her way through the sea soaked rocks, the heavy, damp sleeves swinging a little less wildly in the wind and her hair a royal, tangled wreck behind her. She stepped to the base, where the two former Heavyblades were waiting, one of them dropping his coat over her shoulders in a customary gesture of silent but scolding concern as they did their duty to protect the former Archer of the group, keeping her between the two of them as they headed back towards the limo that the old priest must have figured out would get them all back in one car up in the distance.

The rest followed in line, Colin slipping in behind Mike, Cara behind Conner and the rest fell into line as they so chose. The girl in the center didn't look at the photographers, at the people trying to yell questions over the sound of thunder roaring, waves crashing behind them. Her family did, their eyes all sending the same message, the same warning to all of those who were there as they left them behind, left them to return to the shrine... and likely to scold the girl in their own way and boss her around the same way they always did; especially the two... rather aggressive alpha males she and Kira had both been fond of.

“You ever see such a thing?”

One of the men muttered, frowning as his cigarette refused to light and watched the rapidly disappearing entourage. The others shook their head, one ballsy man managing to pop from behind the limo and slipped his question in, glee mixed with trepidation at the shuttered expressions of the large group.

“Who are all these people? Namino-san, were these people really friends of Sakuya and yourself?”

“Family.”

The journalist looked lost, confused as he looked hard, trying to find a sign of any relation between the girl and gave up.

“What?”

Sekai smiled as the driver opened the door for her, small, pale hand with her wedding band still firmly where it belonged upon her ring finger and a second one barely visible on a thin, elegant chain that had slipped out of her kimono. Grey eyes turned from each person around her, to the two currently flanking her and those who stood behind them, to the man waiting eagerly to catch what she was saying. A secretive smile, one that lit her entire expression despite her grief, formed on her lips as she spoke with a rather good impersonation of Kira's infamous curious tilt of her head.

“Family, Nishitani-san. These people here are Sakuya and I's family.”

Title: Right Between the Eyes
Emotion/Theme: Apology
Rating/Warning: Language warning as usual
Author's Notes: Yet another Omake/AU tidbit that I found amusing to write.


Kira didn't know what to be more pissed about; the fact that she'd been shot, again, or the fact that Trent had managed to prove that his predictions about this particular situation were more than correct, again. So, a compromise was made between the two in the way only she could manage to reason it out to make any sort of sense whatsoever.

She was pissed at Trent because he'd been the one who'd shot her and wound up turning his own prophecy into reality.

Again.

“If your plan is to annoy me by standing there in silence, I must say, it succeeds about as well as your ability to dodge a bullet.”

That hated raspy voice of his said mildly, his eyes not even looking up from whatever bit of paperwork or whatever it was he was currently focusing his attention on. Gritting her teeth, she didn't say anything, merely waiting for him to look up for a fucking moment so that she could give him what she so dearly wanted to. Besides a final blow that would end his existence and thus her entire complicated world that he seemed to spin on his fingertip, the manipulative, too smart for his own good bastard.

Finally, his eyes flicked up, noting the way the black blood was still oozing out of the wound itself and heaved a long suffering, patient sigh before speaking, allowing his gaze to eventually raise away from the gaping hole within the woman's gut to the rather pissed expression on her face.

“Your plan to annoy me by bleeding all over the place is a rather unique tactic, one I'm not going to tolera-”

Two shots rang out, causing all those outside the head of S.T.A.S.I.S' boss' headquarters to drop or lose whatever they were doing, papers scattering all over the place and coffee spilling in great, black-brown and caramel rivers on the ground as they stared at the closed door of the office in horrified disbelief.

Kira came storming out, murder- too light a term for the level of pissed in her expression- with the barrels of the twin pistols she carried and had custom made to suit her... unique abilities as Trent's former partner still smoking slightly as she slammed the door, breaking it off the hinges and causing a great network of spider-web cracks in the reinforced steel and concrete wall on either side.

Takua, always the bravest- or the dumbest out of the core members of the group- poked his head in with a raised eyebrow, Ko arriving five minutes later to find out why the hell the building was damaged yet again to find Trent rather calmly extracting the remnants of what looked like tiny metal fragments out of a little fingernail sized hole between his eyes and placing them with the rest on what looked like a paper plate to prevent his desk from being dirtied.

At the heavy, almost bemused expressions on the two men's faces, Trent diffused the questions with a mild, casual note in his voice.

“I believe she came for an apology.”

Neither one of them wanted to delve too deeply into how shooting a man right between the eyes counted as receiving an apology and merely nodded. Both of them had definitely been around those two far too long to be considered healthy; especially when something like this was considered normal for those two in particular.

And neither one wanted to know what Kira would do if she had to do something as unbelievable as apologize to Trent.