rakuen | A battle!

"Are you going to be alright?" Kotarou was almost jogging to keep up with Oichi's longer strides, and he looked distinctly ill. He hadn't wanted to have his weapon drawn before he'd gotten all the rings he could, but he couldn't refuse Ichi's request. And she was a good fighter, right? So it would probably be okay even without a real weapon... He hoped. Winning would mean they could get another person for Ichi to fight with, and Kotarou was heavily invested in that possibility. "You won't lose, will you?"

Her victory against Meryl had added to her inventory; a fencing foil. Another sword. Oichi wasn't trained in swordplay, but it was a familiar enough weight to her naginata that she could adjust. There were weapons more suited to a fight than Kotarou's, or so he told her-- but she had decided to use it anyways.

Oichi firmly believes what she said: that she'll win, and not lose Kotarou to the man she is set to fight.

The corners of her mouth quirk up, and nearly smiling she tells him: "Ichi will win... she won't lose you. Ichi promises, ok...? Let's hurry, hurry... we can't be late."

"Okay," he gave an answering smile, then caught up with her again, trotting along at her heels with only a little difficulty. He'd have to trust in her and in her strength, but at least that wasn't as hard now, after all he'd been through with his nameless bodyguard.

They rounded the corner of one of the buildings, and Kotarou spotted their opponents almost immediately. "There he is!"

Oichi sees them when he points them out-- she'd been looking at the ground. Unevenly she slows her pace and walks towards their opponents so that Kotarou doesn't have to rush forwards anymore.

"Yes... yes... there he is, there he is..." Oichi looks to her glove, already fit snug around her hand. "Should Ichi draw your weapon now?"

"Uh," he hesitated, again. His fear stemmed mainly from the warnings in his dream - you break so easily, don't you, Kotarou? - but he shook it off. They'd be fine; they'd beat Suzaku and take his Weapon, and they'd be closer to victory. He nodded, determined all over again. "Yeah! I'll stay out of your way, okay? So fight hard!"

Oichi nods once, hand resting on Kotarou's shoulder. They're close enough now that the others should hear them just fine.

"Hello," she says to Suzaku, and then she slowly draws the weapon out of Kotarou's chest. It comes out easily, not at all like Dave's. She holds it in her hands, looking it over and feeling its weight. "Ah... how pretty."

"Uh-huh. It'll keep you safe!" Kotarou added, leaning a little to inspect the pendant. It didn't look any different, despite the two rings currently on his left hand, but maybe that was because they weren't fighting yet. He dropped back from his tiptoes and shuffled his feet, now squinting up Suzaku and his Weapon. Suzaku got a grin, the Weapon got a doubtful look followed by a lesser version of the previous grin, just to establish some kind of loyalty order.

Lelouch watched Oichi draw out Kotarou's weapon. Once they were done, he stepped closer to his friend. "Don't worry about how your attacks may affect me. I'll be fine," he told him quietly. But he stayed near, at a position beside him that made it easier for Suzaku to reach his chest. He fidgeted with the two rings on his fingers, one Power and one Ability. "Whenever you're ready."

Suzaku was a little worried, it hadn't hurt very much when Gino had used him in the fight against Grenn but his time in the military and as a knight had given him quite a high pain threshold. He didn't want to hurt Lelouch but there was no way round it, this system had decided that Weapons felt the damage that their weapon took.

He was wearing his Exaclan glove already and so after he had grinned back at Kotarou he reached out and pulled the sword from Lelouch's chest.

"You ready, miss Oichi?"

"Yes," she says, slipping into a fighting stance. Hand to hand isn't her specialty, far from it, but she can do it. She feels a bit of hesitation though, the jade charm in hand and the sword across from her. She waits for Suzaku to make the first move.

Kotarou was having much the same thoughts as his Player, looking between Oichi and the huge, ornate sword Suzaku was now holding. It didn't look very sharp, but any sword would hurt if you got hit with it. It was too late to object now, so he just turned, took the other Weapon's hand, and tugged him to get them both a safe distance from the two fighters. "C'mon, we've got to get out of the way."

Edited 2011-01-20 21:04 (UTC)

Lelouch couldn't shake how familiar that blade Suzaku had pulled out was. It wasn't anything owned by the royal family, the Ashfords, or anyone else. But something about it seemed familiar. He knew its colors and its design without even looking at it. And even the reasons behind the design. Another hole in his memory, perhaps related to others.

But he moved back nonetheless, keenly aware of just how long that blade was. "What is your Weapon?" he asked the boy. He couldn't make it out in Oichi's hand. And in that case, he was glad. If she had pulled out another sword, this would have been a painful fight for the both of them.

For now, he was going to let Suzaku fight on his own, but on the off chance he's at a disadvantage, Lelouch was going to be mindful of how to turn the tables at any given moment.

Kotarou eyed him sidelong. Then looked at the floor. A shuffle, back to the black-haired Weapon. Muster plenty of arrogance, and, "It's a good-luck amulet, of course! To keep Ichi safe."

He wasn't sure why his jade pendant had powers now when it didn't before, or why it was sealed in him when everyone else had swords or spears, though. As the two Players began to fight, he watched them with the wariness of several months of getting out of Nanashi's way in a melee. "Why does yours look like that?"

Lelouch really had no room to worry, then. While the woman appeared to be a capable fighter, he wasn't sure if that would be enough to beat Suzaku. Well, he may as well be nice to the person that was about to become another one of Suzaku's Weapons. "It's a symbol of royalty," he replied. But he wasn't sure why he knew that. That sword was stuck in a strange paradox of where conscious memory met unconscious instinct. Whatever the case, he needed to open more of his memories.

"Symbols don't make good weapons," he muttered, feeling a little insecure about the difference in Suzaku and Oichi's styles. "Even symbols of-" Wait, go back. The boy did a rather admirable double-take, and Lelouch quickly became the subject of intense scrutiny. He didn't look impressed. "You're royalty?"

No royal would sully themselves with something like this, obviously. They existed in another reality. The guy had to be a lesser noble.

He couldn't help but smirk at Kotarou's reaction. He supposed that as young as he was, it would be rather difficult for others to understand. "I am," he replied. He left the type nonspecific. "And don't let its design fool you. It's as sharp as one would expect from a sword."

Hmph. "Who's being fooled? Doesn't matter how sharp it is," he said, immediately. "Ichi will win."

And then this guy would belong to her. He wasn't sure he liked that part as much.

"And how, may I ask, will she do that with a pendant?" he asked, with an unmistakable patronizing tone in his voice. But he smiled, a very artificial and passive-aggressive one.

"That's-" Urk. "Shut up!"

Great comeback, Kotarou. He balled his fists at the guy's tone; if he was a cat he would have fluffed up the moment Lelouch smiled. "She doesn't need a weapon to beat Suzaku!"

She didn't, right? He hoped not.

Speaking as someone that had felt the full impact of Suzaku's kicks more than once, he highly doubted that. But he was most definitely biased.

"I'll have to add that to the laundry that needs to be done at the dorms," he said, gesturing to Kotarou's uniform. "It would be a shame to bring you around the others."

There was a pause as Kotarou ran that back in his head, and then Lelouch's only answer was a strangled noise of rage. An extended one. It had probably been some kind of coherent response in his head.

To that, he couldn't help but smirk. The boy made it too easy, really. "Perhaps a bath is in order, as well."

Him too? Dave first, now this guy. His reply was more to himself than the other Weapon, but it was audible nonetheless.

"Why does everyone say that?"

"Besides," Huashi's sudden appearance beside Kotarou was accompanied with a sing-song voice. She'd been hanging around, just to see that nothing went wrong, but this required an intervention! "We bathed a few days ago! I don't see why everybody around here is obssessed with bathing." Huashi rolled her eyes and smiled at Kotarou, and then swiftly switched to give Lelouch a narrow stare.

Suzaku looked askance at the pendant, he was pretty sure that was not a weapon, even though he had seen her take it out of Kotarou. He did not like attacking someone who was pretty much unarmed with a sword, however she was in a fighting stance and had said she was ready so...

He went into a ready stance as well, the sword pointing upwards and as he stepped forwards brought the sword down and round aiming for Oichi's left side.

She spins out of the way gracefully, not unlike a puppet on strings; brings her arms around and goes to swipe at his back with the amulet. It's pointed, just slightly, but it's enough that Oichi thinks it could do some damage.

Suzaku stepped out of the way of Oichi's swipe bringing his sword upwards above his head and then slicing downwards, not that this sword was very good for slashing.

Again spinning out of the way, Oichi takes advantage of his movement's opening to throw her leg up in a spinning kick headed for his side.

Suzaku saw her come towards him with a kick and rolled sideways out of the way, coming up to his feet into a ready stance. He darted forwards and brought his sword across horizontally towards Oichi's side.

Oichi hits the ground the second she sees him wind up. But she doesn't go down quick enough and the sword grazes the side of her head. It stuns her momentarily. She lays there for a few moments, vision spinning before staggering back to her feet, brow furrowed.

"Ohh... how that stings..."

Suzaku was shocked that his strike had hit and his eyes widened slightly. Even though they were battling they were not enemies, this was to be treated more like a spar and so Suzaku waited in a ready stance waiting for Oichi to get up and be ready again.

She takes a step back, then two, then three. She closes her eyes and touches her fingers to her temple. Her thoughts move slowly, as though through syrup, and she feels dizzy. Light headed.

Ah, and then she remembers what she's doing. A fight. She looks to the charm in her hands, clasped tight, and then to Suzaku. A fight. This is her weapon. She turns it over in her hands, swaying on her feet, and then steps forwards and throws it as hard as she can in Suzaku's general direction.

Had he hit her that hard? He felt concern growing but she had gotten up and seemed alright. What Suzaku didn't expect was for Oichi to throw the pendant at him. He ducked it and turned as he heard it hit the ground. He turned to see it smash on the stones...

"Kotarou!"

Kotarou broke off from his argument with Lelouch just in time to see his Player fall.

"Ichi!" He ran a few steps, to help her up, get between her and Suzaku, something... and then she stood up on her own. He stopped, then recoiled when she hefted the pendant. "Ichi, stop--"

Smash. He'd managed to get halfway to the fighters before it landed, but the moment it did, he crumpled to the floor with a scream. The pain lanced through his skull and into his entire body, as though it was him that had just shattered; all he could think was, this must be what it feels like to die.

Blessedly, it was only seconds before he was unconscious.

"KOTAROU!" Huashi was by Kotarou's side before he'd even finished falling, and managed to stop his head from hitting the ground. Scooping the boy up and cradling him to herself, she gave all present adults a glare that spoke of murderous intent...

"You had another weapon to use! He said you had! You should have waited! You could have used something else!" Huashi's shriek at Oichi was climbing up into painful registers before she suddenly snapped her mouth closed, staring down at Kotarou. He hadn't stirred.

Why hadn't he woken up!

She wasn't letting anyone close.

But she didn't know where to go, because Kotarou obviously needed help. Help she couldn't give him. Suzaku. He better know.

"Where do we go!?" Despite her almost cramp-like grip on Kotarou, her tail was very gently wrapped around one of his legs.

The charm shatters, Kotarou rushes forwards and falls down with a scream and Oichi has no idea why. She looks at him absently as the girl catches him. She shouts. Oichi tilts her head and looks at her, stepping unsteadily towards the two.

As the weapons fade and as though by magic, her confusion dries up. Relative clarity hits her like a cold wind and she falls to her knees.

Kotarou is hurt.

Did Oichi do this? She looks to the spot his weapon had shattered, and recalls the woman in the wall saying something like this; the weapon breaking means the person is hurt. He isn't waking up. Is he dead?

Did she kill him?

"Ah... so this... is Ichi's fault..."

Tears well up in her eyes and drip down. She holds her hands to hide her face and her shoulders heave.

He had expected Kotarou to be hurt, he had not expected this...

"Kotarou!" He shouted running towards him as the child screamed in pain. What had they done! They had... was he dead?

He had done this, he had killed... a child... He reached him and ignoring anything that Huashi tried to do to him reached down to lift him, somewhere it accured to him that the child was breathing... But injured.

What had he done? "Medical room..." his tone was blank, completely shocked as he tried to take Kotarou off Huashi.

"I... I'm so sorry Kotarou..." He had almost killed a child, might still have if they didn't get him help soon... He had...

Just what kind of heartless monster was he?

Huashi snarled and slapped Suzaku's hands away. There were tiny, sharp little nails involved, leaving quickly-welling scratches. She jumped back, and somehow managed this without dsturbing Kotarou or loosing her grip on him.

"You don't get to touch him!" She shrieked again, standing up properly and glared. "I'm carrying him," Huashi's voice was surpisingly low for a young girl, a reverbating growl caught in the back of her throat.

Despite the rage, there was something tremulous caught in the shine of her eyes, under the growl.
"Where do we go!?" She repeated again, backing off another few steps, so that none of the adults would attempt to come close or take Kotarou from her.

It was her words not her actions that made Suzaku give up trying to take Kotarou out of her arms. "I..." Words failed him... She hated him... he hated himself... "This way!"

He led the way but didn't step more than a few paces away from Huashi in case she needed help.

He had to get them to the medical room... he concentrated on that concentrated on putting one step in front of the other...

Kotarou had to be alright... he had to be... what had they done.

The moment Sora sees the conclusion of the battle on the screen, she's up and running. She does that a lot, but she can't suppress the memories of her friends screaming - Yuki falling to the ground before Sora knew enough to save her, Koharu assuring her that she's okay, that it's nothing - and if she's guessed right, none of them know what happens when you break a weapon. None of them know how much it hurts when you realise that you've just done more damage to the people you love than any opponent ever could.

But Sora does, and now that woman, Oichi, does. She sees the boy being carried towards the infirmary as she runs, and she'll visit him, later, but Oichi is just curled on the ground, sobbing, and she needs help too. Out of breath, she skids to a stop next to her and falls to her knees, the better to wrap her arms around her, as if shielding her from what just happened. The warning penalty hits immediately, but there's no way it can hurt more than those feelings.

"It's okay," she says, a hand in Oichi's hair. "It's okay. It's... It's not your fault."

Oichi shakes in the other girl's grip. Her head hurts. Her heart hurts. It all hurts, her entire body. She slowly shakes her head at Sora's reassurance.

"No... this is..." And something strikes up in her, something familiar that gives her pause. But that parallel feeling is there for only an instant. "This is Ichi's fault..."

Kotarou is dead, she thinks. Kotarou is dead. Oh, and how that hurts. The guilt tugs at her very soul.

"Ichi... is alone again..."

And that is the worst part of it all. Kotarou had been bright, kind. Gentle. Ever so merry. They hadn't been together all the time, but Oichi had grown very attached.

And now, as far as she knows, he is gone forever.

Oh, she thinks- Sora's gut twists, even through the pain. "That's not true!" She pulls Oichi up from her curled-over position, and meets her eyes desperately, "You're not, you're really not. He's going to be okay. He'll wake up!"

Because the boy isn't capable of reassurance, isn't old enough to smile and lie and tell her that it's okay like they did. Sora never really felt like she deserved her friends' forgiveness for the pain she caused in her ignorance, but this isn't her; other people can be forgiven and she'll accept that without hesitation. As long as Oichi is okay, there'll be a chance for her to talk to her friend again and make things right. "Come with me," she says, the plea almost a command in its force, "I'm going to stay with you until we can see him, I promise."

Oichi looks up, black eyes perfectly blank, a tear trailing down her face. "Kotarou... isn't dead..." It isn't a question. It's as if saying it out loud will make it true. Make it real. Yes, that works; Oichi has no reason not to believe this girl, can feel the truth in her as though it were tangible. And she meets her gaze.

The fear of being alone again isn't gone, but quelled. Yes. Yes... this girl will stay with her, warm and real.

"Ichi... won't be alone... because. You are here." It's meant as a question, but the lilt to her words makes it come off as a statement. "... Ichi will come with you."

[continued here!]

A battle!

Suzaku Kururugi vs. Oichi

kotarou and oichi preparation

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Kotarou and Lelouch

Re: Kotarou and Lelouch

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FIGHT BIT HERE

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SORAHUGS THREAD [attn: Oichi]

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