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 Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 11:26 pm
It had been two days since the events in Christmas had taken place, and Xiu was relieved to note that the sudden surge of negative emotions had not made any sort of return since that day. In general, she didn't feel that different, but she knew that something about her had been changed.
The necklace was the obvious culprit for this. She had no doubt about that, as she could have sworn that the piece of jewelry had done something to her--something that was subtle and undetectable, but there.
And honestly, she was afraid. While she had yet to lose herself as she did during that dream, what if it did happen again? And what if she actually acted upon those feelings of power and hurt someone? The baku was desperate to talk to someone about this, to ask advice...and of course, there was one person that she could always count on when she needed to talk. She had almost forgotten that she had something else to ask him too--the happy phone conversation with her uncle seemed so long ago now.
Perhaps it would have been best to call first, but the thought didn't even cross Xiu's mind as she quickly left her dorm and made her way to the reaper dorms. When she reached Shun's room, she hesitated for a second, and then lifted her hand and knocked.
"Aniki? Aniki, are you in? I want to talk to you, please!"
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 11:33 pm
After those events, Shun found himself more irritable than usual. He had also noticed a few black marks embedded in his wrists. He didn't know what they were, but something wasn't quite right. The hunger for power had lingered within him too, though it wasn't nearly as strong as it was when he saw the crown. He wasn't sure what had gotten into him.
The vision he saw had been pretty clear. Was that what his future could be like? He wasn't sure.
When he answered the door, he was a little short of breath. Apparently he was doing some training in his room prior to opening up. Furrowing his brow, he looked over Xiu. She had sounded distressed and for a moment he wondered if someone had been bothering her.
He'll kill them if that were the case.
"Xiu? What's going on?" he asked while looking down the hall in case the problem was actually in the area. He also noticed the peculiar necklace she now wore..
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:41 am
It was strange how just hearing the voice of a friend could fill her with so much relief, but it did. When Shun opened the door to greet her, the muscles in her shoulders--ones that she didn't even know had been tensed until now--relaxed. She peered up at him curiously as he leaned out to glance down the hallway, but then she simply shook her head.
Shifting uncomfortably, she opened her mouth to speak--to tell him that she needed to talk and figure out what was going on--but the words that emerged were completely different than what she had originally intended. "P...please get this thing off of me!" She blurted out, lifting a hand to hook the black necklace with he fingers, showing off the burnished gem, "Use your hands, your daggers, anything. Just please help me get it off before...before something else happens."
No negative emotions may have come to plague her in the past few days, but who knew how long that would last? Whether or not anything happened, Xiu wanted this strange, foreign piece of jewelry off of her as soon as possible.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:46 am
Shun was surprised to hear what Xiu had to say exactly. Furrowing his brow, he stared at the necklace around her neck. Something about it reminded him of that crown... And for a moment, he felt something spur in him. Yes, he could help remove it and maybe he could have it for himself.
The power would be his.
Narrowing his eye, he reached out and tried to rip the pendant away from her... only to fail. Frowning, he summoned his daggers and attempted to cut away the chain.
"What the hell is this.." he hissed in irritation before pulling the Baku into his room.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:00 pm
Something about Shun was...different. Xiu couldn't quite place what it was, but there seemed to be some kind of subtle change in the reaper's counterance. However, well aware that it could have simply been her imagination--she wouldn't be surprised if her mind decided to play tricks on her right now--she was quick to dismiss it.
Shun's first attempt to remove the necklace was met by a grimace from the baku, her heart hammering in her chest when he summoned his daggers. Surely he could somehow use those to break through it, right? She hardly dared to let herself hope as he lifted the weapons to the jewelry...
...And nothing. Her shoulders sagged, and she docilely let herself be pulled into the room. Lifting a hand, she clutched at her temples, feeling her head begin to throb. "I just want to get rid of this thing. There was that dream, and...aniki, do you notice anything different about me?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:07 pm
Closing the door, Shun closed his good eye for now, trying to shake off this power hungry feeling that had hit him when he saw that necklace. He took in a sharp breath, then shook his head at Xiu's question.
"No. Aside from the necklace that is," he said, opening his eye to stare at it some. The feeling still remained within him, and it was pissing him off in a way, but it did die down after that initial reaction.
"So I wasn't the only one who received a vision then," he murmured, "Something tells me removing that won't be easy. If it can't be ripped or cut off."
Maybe he should try cutting her head off first.
The Reaper paused at that thought, then shook his head. No. He was not going to try and decapitate his little sister.
"Has it done something to you?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:21 pm
The baku honestly seemed relieved when Shun revealed that he couldn't see too much of a change in her. That was...a good thing, right? Even though she knew something had happened to her, so long as there didn't seem to be any outward changes, it would be...okay, right?
Just...don't hurt anyone, She told herself silently, her expression tightening for just a second.
"You too then?" Right--plenty of students had received a vision when that crown had fallen, hadn't they? The reaper's question made her hesitate, and she wasn't sure whether to nod or shake her head. The necklace most definitely had done something to her...she just wasn't entirely sure what it was. "I just...feel like that it's doing something to me. And back in Christmasland, when I suddenly woke up to find this thing around my neck..."
Xiu trailed off uncertainly. Did she wanted to talk about those feelings of disgust she had felt when she had seen the other students? It shamed her to even think about it. They were her friends, her family, and she had looked at them as if they were no better than the dirt beneath her feet.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:24 pm
Shun nodded quietly at first to her initial question. The images of the vision were still clear in his head. They didn't really disturb him, but they were definitely a thing of curiosity. What was more concerning was the matter of the pendant with Xiu. A part of him wanted it, but the other was still worried about his little sister.
Motioning her over, he went on to sit down at the edge of his bed.
"What does it feel like exactly? Do you feel... stronger?"
He had to ask.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:36 pm
She obediently moved over, looking hesitant before taking a seat, perching on the very edge. The ghoul flinched a little at the question, immediately feeling the memory flood back into the forefront of her mind. The whispers of power, the sensation of being stronger and more worthy than everyone else...
Xiu nodded slowly, and then paused. "I...kind of. Not right now--I feel...pretty much how I usually do, right now--but there was a moment back there where I felt...superior. There were all these terrible thoughts in my mind, and I just..."
Again, she trailed off, giving a sharp shake of her head as she tried to rid herself of the memory. No, that would not happen again. As soon as she found a way to break off this necklace, she would be free from these worries.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:40 pm
While they were sitting, Shun took in what he was being told while idly rubbing the black mark on his wrist. He wasn't entirely certain what to make of all of this really.
"I wonder if it has anything to do with this craving that's been set in me lately as well..." he murmured, "Ever since that moment, I've had this deep desire for power. Just seeing that necklace... I wanted it. I wanted what it could grant me. In a way.. I still do."
He turned to stare at it some more. The urge to try and rip it from her neck was still there. But he was fighting against it. It would be futile. And he would likely only end up injuring her in the process.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:46 pm
A chill ran down Xiu's spine at her big brother's confession, and she turned to look at him, her pink eyes wide. So that incident back there had somehow affected all of them, and not only her? The fact that there was something about the necklace that the reaper desired frightened her, because that clearly meant that there was something more to the necklace than what first meets the eye. Shifting slightly, she was very, very careful as she spoke.
"What is it...about it that makes it so desirable, aniki?" The baku asked slowly, her gaze focused on Shun's, "And--ah!"
Her eyes had flickered down for a brief moment, but it was long enough for her to spot a glimpse of a strange black mark on the reaper's wrist. At once, her gaze snapped back up to meet his, her brows creased in concern. "What is that?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:53 pm
"I'm not sure. I feel like I might be able to gain power from it.. or something," he murmured. Shun continued to stare at the object for a moment or so, then noticed that Xiu's attention was on the black mark in his wrist.
"I'm not sure. It showed up after that incident.. I didn't notice it right away though. But I'm certain it wasn't there before that battle."
The Reaper's eye narrowed shortly.
"Maybe it has something to do with all of this. I don't know. But it seems that power has big thing to do with this.. If this is the case, then you may very well have gained something grand," he said, "Just remember that great power comes with great responsibility."
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:06 pm
Power. In the end, that really was all that this was about. It was the desire for power that had consumed her upon seeing that crown, and it was that same sensation that had flooded through her shortly after she woke up with the piece of jewelry fixed around her neck. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she lifted a finger to touch the gem that was set into the center of the necklace, and then she sighed.
This--both the necklace and the fact that Shun suddenly had a black mark--was all very concerning. Was the black mark responsible for Shun's strange urges? Or...?
This was all very confusing.
All Xiu could think right now at Shun's words was that she didn't want the power that the necklace could bring her. Maybe she did before, but not now. The corners of her lips turned upwards in a weak smile as she murmured, "Great power, but at what cost, I wonder?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:11 pm
"Hard to say. A pity too. I would not mind taking that pendant off of your hands," he murmured. His strength alone had never quite been enough. All he could think was of all those times he failed. All those times he lost.
"But if you gain the power to be able to protect those who matter most.. it can't be so bad now, can it?" Shun asked. Too many times he felt powerless in a situation he felt was a dire one. The very thought of all these things had him clenching his fists tightly. His facial expression hadn't shifted much, but it wasn't hard to tell that he was angry.
"And to be able to crush all those ********> he hissed lowly.
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Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:31 pm
"If wouldn't mind getting rid of it if I could take this thing off," She admitted quietly, but whether she would have given it to another person was a different question. This thing didn't seem like something that any of them should possess. It was...dangerous. Most definitely so.
Shun did have a point that the power to protect others would be a wonderful thing, but again, she couldn't shake the doubt that this necklace was not the solution to that. The tip of her tail suddenly bristled at Shun's hiss, and after staring at him wide-eyed, she carefully reached out and gingerly rest a hand on his shoulder.
"A...aniki...?"
There was a pause, and then she decided that perhaps it would be best to switch the topic to something else right now. Clearing her throat, she fiddled with her flower hairclip. "A...actually, on an unrelated note, I wanted to ask you something."
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