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 Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 10:59 am
'You don't know the meaning of Alone,' Lumine wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but she managed to bite her lip. The change in the Kenkaku child's demeanor had struck something deep within her. She and Rubuke both lost something dear to them that fateful day; a friend, a sister... family. Maemi was important to them both for different reasons. For Lumine, she lost a future, while Rubuke lost their past.
"Rubuke!" Lumine called out as Michiko took her hand, her own face remorseful, her eyes glassed over. "...I'm sorry..." She let Michiko take her away after that, her mind still elsewhere.
Nothing about this situation was fair at all. It's strange, how the death of one person could change so many lives, and none for the better. It wasn't fair. Maemi shouldn't have died. She was a good person... a bit stubborn, but noble. She only wanted the best for her wayward Celestian friend, sacrificing her life for that belief.
All you ever did was try to protect me, Maemi... to keep me safe and out of trouble. But I couldn't see it... I was too stupid to realize how much you really cared, and now... Now that I understand... Will I ever be able to say "Thank you"?
She followed Michiko where ever she had lead her, having not been paying any attention to the direction they had left in. Lumine could only imagine it must be one of the secret passages Michiko had mentioned earlier, as they weren't anywhere near the way they first came in. This was probably for the better; with all the noise and shouting, it's no doubt that other guards may have been alerted to their presence.
"M..Michiko? Where...where are we going? W-Wait, shouldn't you put a shirt on?? We won't get very far with you half-naked like that..!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 11:20 am
Michiko moved to the side of hallway, as a small band of guards went by them. "I can't, Rubuke cut my shirt when I used it to move her Naginata out of the way. Brr, I had forgotten how cold it was here..."
She waited for the guards to turn a corner, and signaled Lumine to follow. "This way." She did not stop until they reached a dead end of the same hall, where nothing decorated it but a small crest with the academy's seal at pretty much eye level. Michiko looked the wall up and down,"It's been a while but..."
The wolf tengu tapped the insignia three times, awaited four seconds, and pounded the side of her fist. There was a small pop, and Michiko swung the insignia open. "Inside." It was a small tunnel, probably would have to crawl in through it, given it was still high up, and not much larger than the insignia itself.
"There is about twenty meters to it, then there is a ledge, and a ladder going down for five meters down, go on and wait for me there, I will be right behind you, but i Need to close this first. Go we have no time to lose."
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 12:37 pm
"But--" Lumine was about to object, but she could see the command in Michiko's eyes. A Kazuko wasn't one to be questioned. Instead, she nodded quietly and placed her hands along the rim of the hole, peering down the tunnel. Inside it was dark, and dirty, and probably crawling with...things. Lumine was definitely going to need a bath after th--wait. How long has it been since she had last bathed?!
Lumine blushed a bit at her own questioning of her personal hygiene, though thankfully her face was hidden by the tunnel's darkness as she began to heave herself up into the provided orifice. It took a bit of leverage, but finally her upper body was through, and with a bit of squirming, her legs followed.
"Sixty...feet...through this?!" She grumbled, slowly pulling herself forward and through the tunnel, arm over arm, with barely enough room to wiggle in. Half way through, claustrophobia began to rear its ugly head, forcing Lumine to double her efforts. The light was drawing close. She clawed through the dirt while holding her breath to keep from inhaling anything older than she was. Panic was setting in. Lumine shut her eyes, her nails digging against the rough stone before suddenly -- Nothing.
Cold air rushed passed her. After a sudden drop, Lumine found herself dazed and laying flat on her back, somewhere outside the Academy. She had struck her head, and could see stars dancing in the sky, despite it being nowhere near nighttime. A numbness was beginning to claim her, her breathing and the sound of the gentle mountain breeze were the only accompaniment. Lumine was on the verge of loosing consciousness...
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 12:54 pm
Michiko was in much faster than Lumine, having travelled the way when she was but a young girl. She actually had to climb inside feet first, heavens knows how the agile tengu did it. It took her but a minute to work the levers and lock the passage once again.
The Lonewolf had to work her way on her back down the path, but once her sensible ears picked the distant thud she just had a way of knowing that Lumine had fallen those five meters down despite being warned about the plunge. When she finally reached the edge, she dragged herself over, and let herself fall the distance. The only difference was that she landed on her feet.
She quickly moved to Lumine's side,"Lumine, are you okay? Can you hear me?" The wolf decided to simply craddle Lumine in her arms and stand, carrying her in a bridal style, and quickly moving out down the back of the Academy. They had appeared in the far back, out near the jagged cliffs of Youkai Mountain. "Don't worry, Lumi, we will be back home in no time okay? I warned you about that fall, kid!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 11:49 am
Trapped.
That's how Lumine felt. Rather, it was all she could feel. The blow to her head had affected control over her motor functions; temporarily, but she had no way of knowing that at the moment. Her breathing - one of the few muscle responses still under her control - began to quicken, becoming erratic and panicked. Her eyes darted around, her neck refusing to obey, searching for -- for anything. Hope.
All she saw was sky. All she heard was wind, although that was becoming replaced with a low, grating hum. She may have suffered a mild concussion. Unknown to her, she was in fact moving, though her movements weren't entirely sponsored by her brain. When Michiko cradled her and carried her away, her hands instinctively grabbed at the wolf's body, searching for anything to regain steadiness. Before fulling acknowledging what was going on, Lumine found herself with one hand gripped tightly to Michiko's shoulder, and her face buried into the crook of the wolf's neck as she was carried off.
Below the surface of the hum that invaded her senses, she could hear a muffled sound... speech. Michiko's mouth was moving, but she couldn't make out the words. Despite the pain, or rather, the terrifying lack thereof, Lumine couldn't help but be amazed that Michiko, too, could so easily scoop her up like it was nothing. Tengu sure are amazing people...
"M..Mmmichi...S-So--rryy..."
Physical sensation was returning, albeit very slowly. First was a tingle in the tips of her toes, then the cold touch of Michiko's skin, affected by the air, and then, as if making a high rolling bid for supremacy, a massive throbbing in the back of her head surfaced, blocking out all the minor details. Warm tears rolled down her cheeks and onto Michiko's exposed skin from the amounting pain.
"S..sorry...sorry, I'm sorry...!"
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:05 pm
Michiko craddled Lumine to herself trying to hurry away from the tengu village. The tengu herself was unsure why she was able to carry the celestial so easily and still move at a decent speed. She had read that adrenaline could donl that.
It felt somewhat wild; the pounding of her heart, the attentiveness of her ears, and sheer power she felt her muscles could pack. With that she could understand why her mother loved her job, but perhaps it was like a drug. Maybe over the years Seijin grew used to the same pressure, and learned to do without it. Perhaps that's why her mother was so cold and warm in battle.
Michiko rememberd the old path she used to take. There was a few pieces of rotten wood that she herself had placed, but she tried to avoid them at all costs, choosing ti put her heel to rocks and slide down; never once moving Lumine more than an inch.
She was a good way away from the village when her vision returned to normal, her breath jagged and now a bit panicked. Looking around she desperately looked for the way home.
She was so distracted that the warm tears scared her. It took her a few blinks as she at last looked down to Lumine. "Sh,sh,sh," Michiko said, holding her close for a moment, her eyes not stopping their searching. When the tengu looked down to Lumine she tried to be reasuring,"There is no need to apoligize. There is no need to cry. I'll get you home in a flash..." Her arms where getting tired,"I will get us home don't worry--"
She picked a way now, she had to reach the forest of magic, before the Guards decided to pursue them for theft. "Don' worry, Lumine, Just rest okay? I'll have you home in a moment." She forced her legs to run, knowing that if she stopped she would not be able to carry her own weight much less Lumine's.
She was hopelessly lost.
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 7:23 pm
"Hurt--" she cried out between sobs, "It...hurts..."
What a childish thing to say. But as awkward as it was, here, in Michiko's arms, there was a safety, a warmth that the youngest part of her mind latched onto. She certainly was her mother's daughter.
Lumine's head was throbbing, a sharp pain resounding endlessly. She reached a hand up to cradle her own head, wincing at the slightest of touche from her fingertips.
"I'm sorry, M-Michiko... I didn't listen... I never do..."
Michiko had been running so strongly before, so swiftly, but even in her confused and dazed state, Lumine could feel that strength waning. She moved her gaze to meet the wolf's, forcing to see pass the spots in her vision. "Michi... d-on't p...push yourself! ...Wh, Where are we? Set me down...please... I can see you're tired...I screwed up, and now--" Lumine winced again, clutching at her head tighter. "Maemi...what did I do...to deserve this..?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:27 pm
"Don't worry--" Michiko said between pants, continuing to move,"I'll make sure Ochiba treats your wounds, she is --- she i-- she is better than me with that..... The pain will be gone soon...I just need to ge-get you--"
She faltered, stumbling a few steps. The lone wolf managed to stay standing,though that broke her momentum, and she slowed to a halt, falling to her knees exhausted. Even so, the wolf shook her head,"N-no... I need us to get back-- the guards cou-ld..." Michiko begun to force herself to stand again, only to take a few shaky steps before crumpling under the weight of the celestial and her own. She fell again to her knees, never releasing Lumine, even as she almost collapsed for good. Michiko hadn't felt so tired in a long time, since her mother forced her to train with her.
"I won't set you down...we need to get you home...." Michiko said, trying to catch her breath. Part of her told her maybe it was better to set Lumine down and let both of them rest. "I-...I am sorry... I can't... kee-keep going...!" Her shoulders dropped,a long with her ears and her tail.
She softly set Lumine down onto the grass, night would creep on them in a few hours. Michiko took her hip bag, and carefully, silently, tried to place it under Lumine's head as a pillow, while setting her lantern next to her. "I...I am sorry.... I am lost... I don't know which way to go-- And I don't think I can stand again.... I really feel tired." The tengu moved some hair out of Lumine's face,"But don't worry, I'll find a way to get us back home, no matter what, I'll make sure you are fine."
Maybe Michiko was trying to convince herself more than Lumine. The wolf curled her tail around herself, silently sitting by Lumine, unsure of what to say. She thought to herself, trying to go through everything she had read, for anything to boost her confidence, or to get them out of the dilemma. Who could help the Wayward Celestial and the Lone Wolf now?
They staid there for a long time in silence or so she thought. Michiko turned on the lantern when the forest canopy blocked a little too much light for her liking. Michiko was falling asleep sitting, though by that point she had a hand on Lumine's, trying make Lumine know her company was there. When a small noise disrupted the surrounding area though, Michiko's ears perked up, and the wolf looked from side to side as she slowly stood taking her mother's blade and unsheathing it. The blackened blade glistened on the light of her lantern.
"Don't worry, I am not here to cause trouble--!" The blade of a scythe stabbed into the floor, and forth stepped out Hanari with her hands up in surrender. Around her neck, a glistening charm caught Michiko's eyes, who stood with sheath and sword in hand. "Oh, so it is you who had the badge that belonged to Lumine."
"I went to her house, and she was missing... when I got to yours, the rabbit was there..." Hanari stepped forward, earning a blade pointed to her. "I was worried she would have run into trouble--"
"What do you intend Shinigami? Think you, I know not of the place of a shinigami in the cycle of life, and your will towards celestials?"
"If I wanted to cause trouble I would have already done so." Hanari moved past Michiko, the wolf giving her a cold glare.
Hanari knelt by Lumine, removing the trainee badge from her neck. Michiko never ceased to loom over her shoulder. "You are such a troublesome girl..." Hanari bound the necklace to the celestial's wrist. "It'll be okay, I'll take you to the Wolf's den... that way you can be taken care of, alright, Lumine?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:47 pm
"Michiko, please, don't--!" Lumine yelped when the wolf fell, not from pain, but surprise and worry for her friend. "Th..that's enough, you don't have to...to keep fighting it..."
Lumine relaxed slightly as she was laid down, happy to see Michiko finally ceasing her struggle. She did her best to lay completely still; any sort of movement seemed to make the pain worse, even the gentle touch of Michiko's hand as she laid her bag beneath her head caused another eruption of pain. Doing her best to hide a wince, Lumine tried to force a smile, to reassure her that everything was okay.
"Michiko... don't worry. You've done enough for now... D..Don't worry about anything! Once we rest, we'll go home...safe...and sound... Ochiba will make us all better, you'll see. She's really good at that stuff, y'know? She'd make a... nice... momma... ..." That was it. The pain was overwhelming, and soon, Lumine would succumb to the creeping numbness that she had fought for so long.
Lumine's slumber would be restless and plagued with nightmares. Nightmares of desertion, of loneliness. Dreams without light. The only comfort she had was the touch of Michiko's hand on hers; even such a small gesture was enough to stave off the worst of the darkness that threatened to consume her mind and sleep.
In the corners of her consciousness, Lumine could hear movement, and voices. Her hand gripped the soil she lay on, clawing up a small amount of dirt into the palm of her hand. The voices were familar, both comforting and carrying great importance to the Celestial. She fought the consuming darkness, forcing it back into the deepest part of her psyche. Slowly, the world around her came into perception - first the cold mountain air, then the semi-sweet smell of the forest, then the rather large nail that she felt was being driven into her skull.
Suddenly, there was a hand on her arm. Her body tensed, but as the familiar voice drew closer, her body relaxed again with a small sigh. Something now weighed on her wrist.
"...en care of, alright, Lumine?"
When her name was spoken, Lumine's eyes opened, greeting the Shinigami with their vibrant icy-blue hue. First her expression was blank, still computing the situation in her mind, though she quickly found joy in seeing Hanari again, and displayed this in the form of a small smile. The smile didn't last long, however, and vanished as another thought arose in her mind, one that caused a panic: She was a Shinigami... And Lumine was a Celestial, who was wounded and in no condition to defend herself. Had she come to make good on her promise?
Lumine gasped and sat up quickly, propping herself up on her elbows, while simultaneously moving backwards. The otherwise small exertion prompted another spike of pain, and she collapsed back onto the ground once more, letting out a groaned and a breath she had been subconsciously holding. Lumine struggled to find her voice, and looked up to Hanari with defeat in her eyes. "I...I bet you like...seeing me like this, huh? G..Go ahead...say it..." She blinked away tears from her eyes, tears summoned from the pain and what she thought was a hopeless situation. Why wasn't Michiko doing anything?
"D...do what you want to me, but...leave...leave Michiko alone! I'd... impale myself on your blade before... before I'd let you take her..!!" Lumine forced herself to sit up again, despite the blinding pain. She reached out and grasped the side of Hanari's skirt tightly--
"..H..Huh?" On her wrist, she noticed something dangling. It was the badge Seijin had given her... Lumine released her grip on the Shinigami's skirt and took the medallion into her fingers. "You... brought it back..?" She sunk back, feeling embarrassed and foolish, though that was not uncommon these days. "...Th...Thank you..."
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:38 pm
"Lumine be careful--" Michiko took a step forward. The celestial's outburst reminder her much of Ochiba's, and going further back, her own father's. The memories froze the tengu in place; she had long buried them.
"It's nothing like that--" The words hurt Hanari. She came in good terms, and even so she was attacked like the enemy,"Please listen to me." As Lumine forced herself up and took her skirt, a small pause in which she saw the badge allowed the shinigami to collect herself and understand the blue-eyed girl was confused. Before the celestial hit the floor once more, Hanari had wrapped her arms around her, decisively taking the wrist parallel to hers and craddling her with the other arm. "Be careful, you don't want to get more hurt." She quickly shifted so she could stand,"I want you to stay very still, and lean on me, that way you won't move so much, okay? I'll get you to the wolf's house in no time, but I'll carry you inside because the wolf is tired." She paused sligthly. Her reddish-pink eyes had been piercing and leveled with the celestial's, conveying her resolve and silent loyalty to the celestial's well being. She broke her unwavering lock only to look as she relased Lumine's wrist to slip her hand under her knees."Alright, ready? I'll lift you now." Her body braced itself as she stood in one smooth go.
Suddenly awakened by Hanari's shift, Michiko collected her lantern and the Shinigami's scythe, joining her side. "Let's go." The dark haired girl nodded, and the forest became a distortion, only to be replaced by another set of different trees.
Michiko grunted to Hanari and nodded to her house. She had been closer this time, it only took a couple long strides and Michiko shouldered the door open roughly. "Ochiba! We need your help!"
"Eh?" The old rabbit came from Michiko's room as Hanari came in holding Lumine. Immidately, Ochiba's eyes ligthed with concern. "Take care to the room, Now. Rest her on the bed. Michiko what happened?" The voices where a bit obstructed by the walls, as Hanari was quick to move into the room.
She did as Ochiba instucted, carefully resting Lumine's feet onto the bed, before slowly resting her head onto the pillow."Hang on a moment...the rabbit will be hear to help you." Out of courtesy for the wolf's bed, Hanari softly removed Lumine's boots, placing them at her bedside. Maybe it'd also make the celestial more comfortable.
On perfect cue, Ochiba came into the room, followed by the still topless Michiko. "Lumine, I need to check your head... If you can tell me where it hurts, it'll be much easier for you,... if you can't, I'll be as careful as I can," Ochiba pushed her glasses as she displaced Hanari,"We need to ice your head, or send for some medicine so we can make the swelling go away but we need to know what we are working with, okay, dear?"
Ochiba leaned a bit closer to Lumine," Can you move, or should I look?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 6:40 pm
They were so... beautiful. Lumine gazed deeply into Hanari's eyes, captivated by their color and her own piercing gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, and for just a moment, everything was right again: There was no pain, no loneliness, no worry for the future or remorse for the past. All she wanted, right here and now, was to stay in Hanari's arms... Was this the same way she felt the first time they met eyes, oh so long ago? Lumine could feel the blood rushing to her face. She knew she was blushing and turned her head away and into the Shinigami's shoulder, only nodding silently to what Hanari told her.
The air around them wavered and shifted. One moment, everything felt distant and distorted; the next, things were clear, but different. The transition made Lumine uneasy. She reached up and grasped the collar of Hanari's robes to steady herself. There was the sound of footsteps, and soon, a small commotion as the trio entered Michiko's home. Ochiba called out, sounding worried, and Michiko began to explain the situation, or so Lumine assumed. Hanari had quickly rushed her into the wolf's bedroom, and their voices didn't carry well through the home's thick, warm walls, nor did they carry through the mental fog surrounding her brain.
Lumine had shut her eyes at some point, thoroughly enjoying the scent that clung to the air about Hanari. She could feel herself being set down all of the sudden, but she allowed it, though not particularly wanting to part just yet. The pillow was soft and quite welcome-- wait, was the Shinigami undressing her?! Lumine felt a heat rise to her head again, almost enough to block out the pain. If this was how she planned on fixing her, Lumine certainly wouldn't object..!
Before any other inappropriate thought arose in the Celestial's mind, however, the old rabbit and wolf had made their way into the bedroom. Lumine turned her gaze past Hanari, down and away to her shorter friend, as she began to ask questions about her condition. "My head..." Lumine responded, raising her hand towards the back of her skull, near the crown. She winced again at the slightest touch of her fingers. "I fell... Far... H-Hit my head..."
Lumine still couldn't recall the fall, at least completely. She could remember being in that tiny, dark tunnel. It scared her, and she rushed to make it out... that's when the ground gave away suddenly, and before she could catch herself, her body gave in to gravity's cruel pull. "I didn't fall...on my head..." Lumine clarified, squinting slightly as she tried to remember. "When I came out, I tumbled forward... I hit it... on the way down... on a rock or something. I rolled the rest of the way, and when I stopped, I was on my back..." She said, making motions with her hands to illustrate her story. Afterwards, she leaned up slightly and bowed her head forward, in an attempt to give Ochiba better access. "H...Here. Whatever you do, d...do it fast... I feel like I'm gonna pass out..."
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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 7:27 pm
Hanari was mostly oblivious to the Celestial's severe blush. The shinigami was busy moving things out of her way when and by then Ochiba scampered closer, taking a set of bandages from Michiko's medical kit box. Firstly she made sure to clean the bump; it was easier to see it now that Lumine kindly leaned over. Working quickly and efficiently, she rubbed some medicine of sorts on it as well before she moved to quickly and efficiently wrap Lumine's head in the bandages that had some additional ointment to work with the possible swelling. "Some painkillers would be nice. She should be fine, but it will take a bit for the swelling to go away. A bruise is a bruise, thankfully, what with being a celestial she will be fine at a much faster rate if all goes well.... Ice would help, I am sure..."
"Sorry but if you haven't noticed I am a hermit, and I have not found a book on building those cold-boxes or whatever they may be called."
"I think that's a refrig-,refr-, re-, refrigerator-....?"
"Don't ask me."
Ochiba tried to help Lumine rest back into the bed. "Try to rest well, Lumi, you'll be fine, all you need is some good rest."
"Yes... I am going to get a shirt now." Michiko went to the side of her room and opened a small cabinet, pulling out a shirt and slipping it on, as Ochiba spoke," I think we will let you rest, I'd like why Michiko is shirtless and there is all this junk in your bag..."
"Can I stay here...?"
"Yes, but if you do anything to disrupt Lumine, I will be shoving the scythe through your chest cavity."
"Fair enough." The wolf tengu leaned her mother's blade next to Lumine's bedside, but she leaned the scythe on the door frame.Michiko walked out dragged by Ochiba, both throwing tentative glances at Hanari, yet somehow trusting that she would not do anything to upset Lumine.
As the two left, Hanari sat on the bed at Lumine's feet. "Hm.. must,....have been quite a fall you took." The shinigami sat awkwardly, with her hands closed into uncertain fists, and eyes glued onto said hands. "Uhm.. Sorry it took me so long to give back your necklace. I didn't find you at your house, so it took me a while to find you again. ..."
"Are you always getting into trouble? It's like you cause trouble where ever you go. You need to be more careful!" With that comment her pink-red eyes flared with concern as they glued to Lumine's once more, but her spark was quickly hidden by her own attitude. She cleared her throat and crossed her arms, looking of to her side. "Geez, it's not like I care, but don't go annoying the wolf and rabbit with all your trouble. They might leave you in a small cardboard box at the Village so someone can adopt you or something."
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:31 am
Lumine stayed as still as she could while Ochiba worked, stifling the small whimpers that escaped her lips. Once she was done, she reclined back onto the pillow once more, lead by Ochiba's hands, and let out a small sigh. "I hope I don't have to stay here long..." She mumbled under her breath. Something about the thought of being bedridden unnerved her.
Wait, why were they talking about refrigerators? The Celestial mentally shook her head (as actually doing that would undoubtedly bring more pain), and sighed again, sinking further into the pillow. "It's... a long story, Ochiba... Michiko can fill in the details."
After the two left, Lumine stayed silent on the bed for a while, not quite feeling comfortable in Hanari's presence, yet at the same time, wanthing nothing but. "Hm?" Hanari's question pulled her out of her own thoughts. "Yeah...I think Michiko said... 5 meters? ...It hurt." Lumine raised her arm again, once more inspecting the medallion returned to her. Even after all these years, it still held a small luster. "Don't worry about it... Though, having this might have made my day a lot easier..." Chuckling, she met Hanari's eyes again. Another smile broke out upon her face. Was the Shinigami showing concern..?
"...Yeah, I guess you could say that. Trouble... always seems to follow me around... I guess I'm hopeless, huh?" Struggling, Lumine forced herself to sit up; the bandages helped ease the pressure, and in turn, the pain. She stared intently at Hanari, despite the Shinigami averting her gaze. "So, why did you come find me..?" She said, ignoring Hanari's comment about the box. "...What changed your mind? I thought..." She bit her lip, fighting back emotions. "...That'd I'd never see you again. I-I mean, you made off with my necklace...after all..."
Slowly, Lumine moved her legs, swinging them over the side of the bed to sit fully upright, beside Hanari. "...I thought you had come to hate me..."
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 12:51 am
"Eh, don't push yourself now. The rabbit said you needed to rest." Hanari warned as Lumine begun to move.
"I said I had come to give you back your necklace," the shinigami said,"I accidentally walked away with it. I am no thief, so I had to give it back. And I did promise to come for your soul didn't I? I keep my promises, celestial." She rubbed the back of her neck with a hand,"What? Can't I accidentally bump into you successfully after not finding you at your house? Not that I even meant to go to your house or anything--! "
The shinigami sighed, looking away from Lumine again with a childish pout of sorts,"I never intended to walk off with the necklace. It was just that I had never seen Noroshi-sama like that, and I got nervous... I was confused to begin with anyway."
"When I went to your house, and you weren't there, I came here, but the rabbit refused to tell me where you were. So I saw that the badge... that, that I recognized the badge as the trainee badge of the swords school or whatever... I went that way and I just happened to bump into you. It was concidence that I found you and the wolf. The lantern lighted up, so I followed it."
"It wasn't like I was looking for you, I simply bumped into you on my way to return the badge to someone," That someone was obviously Lumine, and it was easy to tell the deceit's lenght through Hanari's demeanor and small blush on her pale cheeks. She huffed, crossing her arms,"You need to spend more time at home; Maybe that way you will gather good karma for when I take your soul!"
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Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:10 pm
"...You're really strange, y'know that, Shini?"
Lumine's gaze fell to the ground, her hands gripping the side of the bed with uneasiness. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, and a lot of things she wanted to hear. But where to begin? Where to end? Where stands the line between right and wrong? Is there any line at all?
"Don't act like that..." She said softly, her eyes still fixed to the ground. "If you really wanted nothing from me but my soul, then what's stopping you from taking it now? I'm wounded, and in no condition to defend myself, even with this sword at my side..." Her fingertips gently touched Seijin's sword. It shifted its position slightly in response, but stood firm otherwise. "...If you wanted nothing more than my soul, what's stopping you from walking over to that door, taking your scythe, and driving the blade straight through my chest, right here, right now? Wouldn't that make your boss happy? Maybe... that'd make everyone happy? Then, they wouldn't have to worry...about taking care of a stupid girl...like me..."
Tears began to fall from her eyes. She hadn't realized she had been so close to crying. Despite the tears, however, Lumine started to laugh slightly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Haha... All I ever do anymore... is cry... and get in trouble... My friends always have to bail me out."
"And yet..." She turned, her eyes falling upon Hanari once more. "It was you who saved me this time. If you didn't care about me, then you wouldn't have helped me home, right? You wouldn't have come looking for me... You wouldn't...have helped fight those demons, a-and---..." Suddenly, Lumine felt a dizziness coming on, probably from her emotional outburst. She wavered slightly and fell to the side, into Hanari. Her head now rested on the Shinigami's shoulder, eyes barely open, and her arms a bit limp at her sides. "...And... If you didn't care... You wouldn't let me...do this..."
"...So please... Please don't say that you don't care... Because I do."
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