|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 1:40 am
Xiu's eyes flew open at the cry, and her grip on the beam suddenly tightened. She knew that voice. "Are you alright?!" She had to get down there to check if he was okay. From up here, all she could see was that he was pressing a hand to his abdomen area, which was already not a very good sign. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any easy way down from the rafters so, steeling herself, she pushed herself off and jumped.
If it wasn't a dream, she probably wouldn't have been so bold. As it was, though distance to the ground wasn't all that far, Xiu had never been trained how to land from a fall. A jolt of pain ran up one of her legs as she landed awkwardly, but it wasn't anything serious--once she woke up, then she would be fine again. It's all in your head, She reminded herself, trying to ignore the throbbing pain and pushing herself into a standing position. Her gaze fell on the demon.
"A-aniki, watch out!" At this point in time, she could have possibly turned to two other methods in an attempt to make Shun aware that he was dreaming. Would it be better to move to one of these other methods, perhaps, or to stick with the one she had decided on first? It depended on what happened next with this fight.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:01 am
Seeing Xiu drop down behind the demon and shout out to him, Shun glanced over at her. This proved to be a mistake on his part as his adversary took note of him being distracted. Magic burst out from his hand, scattering out in blue streaks all over the area before him.
Grunting, the Reaper felt pain shoot through him in a couple different areas. He had taken a hit in his left shoulder and in one of his legs. Gritting his teeth, he stared hard at the demon ahead before pushing himself forward. The demon began to move away, but he had been busy preparing another spell. he did manage to unleash it just as Shun got close enough to stab the other right in the chest.
Pushing the demon away, the Reaper shuddered and coughed. He looked to be in pretty bad shape right now as his own blood was slowly pooling at his feet. Not to mention that some of the crimson liquid had begun to trickle down from his lips. With a groan, he staggered over to the nearest crate and slumped down against it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:50 pm
Xiu slapped her hands over her mouth, either in shock or in an attempt to suppress saying anything that could distract the boil again. Just because this wasn't real didn't mean that it was easy to watch and, though she was slightly glad that the demon wouldn't be a threat to Shun now, she had to turn away when Shun's dagger went right into the man's chest.
For a long moment, she remained turned away, her eyes squeezed shut as she felt a wave of nausea set in. Was this a dream based off of memories again? Why would Shun...? She shook these thoughts away for now, running through the blood that coated the floor and kneeling down beside the injured reaper.
"Aniki..." Her ears and tail drooped as she took in his condition. She couldn't expect for him to get up and look at the crate labels now, so she would have to go with one of the other methods which was...not going to be easy.
She mustered up the most serious expession she could manage, but her bottom lip quivered a little at all of the blood Shun was losing. No time to dwell on that though--this was just a nightmare, and he had to realize that. "...Does it really hurt, aniki?" The question was an abrupt one, and she presented him with another one right after, "Where...where is the blood coming from? Where are your wounds?" And if there were wounds, did they match up with the magic attack that the demon had cast, or did they look like they had been caused by something else?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 12:01 am
Breathing heavily, Shun gritted his teeth and let go of his left dagger so he could cover one of the more serious wounds. When Xiu spoke up again, he glanced up at her and raised his other blade somewhat. He still didn't know why she was here. She could easily finish him off right now if she so chose to do so.
"No. I'm fine," he hissed in response to her question. Most likely that was said out of sarcasm considering he knew she could see how much blood he was losing right now.
"If you're so concerned, go check yourself," he added lowly. Though, now that she had mentioned it, he realized he wasn't bleeding from his abdomen where he was grasping prior to grabbing it. Hadn't he gotten hit on his other side? The Reaper showed some sense of confusion at this. Then again, with all the chaos, he might have just confused himself earlier on during the actual fight.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 12:35 am
He was being a little snippy, but Xiu wasn't surprised. To someone who really thought that he was injured and could feel the pain from said injuries, her questions probably came off as ridiculous. Even then, she never let the calm expression fade from her face.
"Aniki, I'm serious. Can you check where you were hit?" While she couldn't directly change or control anything in the dream, the Baku had been told that it was possible to manipulate the setting through suggesting things to the Shun. If she could make him doubt what happened, then perhaps when he checked...
She thought for a moment, and then spoke up softly. "Actually, to tell you the truth, I didn't see you get hit at all. From where I was watching it...it kind of looked like it missed. Maybe grazed you a little at most. Is the injury really that painful though?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 10:03 am
Hissing through his teeth, Shun clutched at his wound a little more. What the hell was up with Xiu? When she mentioned that she saw the demon miss his attacks, he just looked up at her like she was insane. He would think that he'd know if he got hit or not.
"You've obviously never been shot before," he snapped before letting out a wince. Xiu was being no help really. He couldn't believe that she seemed to be intent on just standing there, watching him bleed out.
"Fine," he hissed, getting frustrated with the baku. He moved his hand and looked down at himself. Stunned, he found no wound where his hand had been. The pain had seemingly gone along with that as well.
"Wait... What?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 3:11 pm
There we go. It seemed she possibly been able to plant some kind of seed of doubt with her last statement. If the demon had missed, there would be no wound...and indeed, there was none. "...Does it still hurt now?"
It was a good start. Now Xiu was just worried how to do this without having Shun jerk awake immediately. "But...it's strange though, isn't it?" She spoke slowly, trying to consider her words carefully before she continued, "You felt the pain, and we both saw the blood...but there is no wound. Has anything else changed from before?"
The Baku gestured to their surroundings now. Had anything change color? Were the crates still in the same arrangement as before? ...Were there even any crates left? By asking him a question like this, Xiu was hoping that he would unconsciously warp the setting a little to accommodate a change.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 3:23 pm
Shun was incredibly confused. He could have sworn he had taken the hit. He felt the magic rip straight through his body.
"..No it doesn't.." he murmured. There were a few other injuries he had, but it felt like the only one that was really left was the hit he took to his leg. Furrowing his brow as he was trying to recall what had happened, he was soon distracted by Xiu. Had she done this? No. He had seen FEAR healing before and she didn't do anything that even suggested she was healing him.
The Reaper didn't even know if she could heal.
Looking around as she mentioned other oddities, he stared at the crates around. Wait... there wasn't a crate next to one of the bodies before. And the briefcase had shifted from leather to metal.
Or did it?
"... Jack dammit I think I'm losing it..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 4:09 pm
Now that Xiu looked around, she could see some of the changes too. Good, he was beginning to notice things that didn't make sense. "Aniki, you're not losing it. You need to focus, okay?" What next? She frowned thoughtfully, and then suddenly asked, "Do you remember...do you remember that day I visited your room, and I brought Arashi and some tea with me? I told you something that day. Do you remember what it was?"
Since that event had only happened an hour ago or so--going by the waking world--Xiu wasn't sure if it was possible for Shun to recall anything from that chat. To help him along, Xiu pointed to the crate that had moved, to the briefcase that had changed, and then finally to where the reaper's wound had been.
"Why do you think these things have changed after I mentioned them? And...I'll let you know that I'm not the one who is doing anything to change them." Not directly, anyways.
They were close. So close.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 7:18 pm
Shun was relatively unnerved at the moment with things shifting around as they were. And then Xiu had to bring up that day she came by to teach him something. Right now, he was having some trouble recalling what the exact reason was.
"Wait.. What?" he started while staring at the things that had shifted. Somehow that night and all of this was connected.
Wait. She was trying to teach him lucid dreaming.
"I'm dreaming?"
The moment he realized this, the world began to fade and crumble. The dream was ending, ready to send both students back into the waking world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 8:14 pm
Shoot! They were so close! "Aniki! Aniki, relax! Relax everything--your body and your mind--and try to fall back into the dream!" It was difficult though, she knew, especially for someone who was just starting to learn lucid dreaming. She wouldn't be surprised if they would have to try this over and over again for a few nights, but hopefully Shun would eventually grasp it. She was certain that he'd be able to pick it up quickly with a bit of practice.
As she watched the dream crumble around her, Xiu mused what she had just seen in this dream. It was definitely a side of Shun that she hadn't seen. While she always knew that he was a talented fighter, to see him actually kill three men without any mercy...
It had been...a little frightening to see.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 8:41 pm
Despite what Xiu was saying, Shun couldn't bring things back together. The dream was crumbling quickly and before he knew it he was staring up at the ceiling above his bed.
A little disoriented, he slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't been asleep for long, but his awkward position made it a little stiff still. Looking off to the side, he saw Xiu nearby. Oh right.
Closing his eyes for a moment or so, he let out a breath while trying to remember as much as he could. This time around, he recalled a good portion of the dream, but there were a couple chunks missing here and there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 8:56 pm
Xiu was a little shaky when she woke up. All that blood, and the sound of the knife sinking into the mens' bodies...that dream hadn't been anything like she expected. Before she had entered his dream, she thought that it would be like the last one--Shun facing off against his father again--but it was completely unexpected and...a little scary, actually. She had maintained her composure during the dream because she had a job to do, but now that she was out of the dream?
She knew that he had gotten the wrong idea and thought that she was...one of "them", whoever they was, but the threat that he would take her out if he had to? That had genuinely shaken the Baku up a little.
Pulling her knees to her chest, she rubbed at her temples for a bit before directing a small smile to the reaper. "It was a good first try, aniki. How do you feel?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:13 pm
Watching Xiu silently, Shun really hadn't had any clue that he had scared her at all. Well, if he did, he would have thought it was because she saw him bleeding all over the jack damn place rather than because he killed a few people in his dream.
"A little disoriented," He admitted. It was taking a moment or so for him to really get his bearings. That last bit of the dream was a little strange and it threw him into a loop or so to speak.
"I guess we try again then?" he asked, "If you're ready at least."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:38 pm
"Sorry, I know it was a little...strange." It really was disorienting to have things change around you without any warning. The material of the suitcase and the placement of the crate was one thing, but for a wound--and the pain--to suddenly disappear? That was a little harder to blame on a bad memory.
"Y...yes...yes, I'm ready. Just give me a moment." She picked up the empty tea cup and went to refill it for Shun, trying to mentally prepare herself while she did so. She had a feeling that the reaper wasn't the type to have especially happy or joyous dreams, so she had to steel herself for the worst.
Presenting the cup to him, the Baku let out a shaky sigh and pressed her back to the wall, sliding down until she met the floor. "...Mmkay. Ready when you are."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
