[B] Abandoned Chivalry (Sinon x Esperite) [FIN]

[Moving Pictures]

It was one of those nights. The moon's glow wasn't bright enough to illuminate the old business district. The shuffle of night workers, headed to their meager jobs, had just finished. The lights of the middle class vehicles had long stopped dancing across the run down buildings, their drivers hastily speeding through the less than pleasant part of town. Boarded up windows and half finished constructions were all that was left besides the squatters who only made their homes in the buildings nobody cared to enter, day or night. Only the poorest of souls remained on the streets and one very poor soul had just meet a very unpleasant end thanks to an inexperienced lieutenant.

The faint glow of the star seed lit up the desolated second floor of the abandoned business office. The small source of light in the teal haired lieutenant's hand cast shadows against the lifeless figure on the floor.

"Nothing. In the end, you amounted to nothing. If you are lucky to have anyone remember you, it will only be for your disgustingly shoddy appearance, or more likely, your atrocious odor. If you could talk, you would certainly be thanking me for ending such a meaningless existence."

The golden tip of Esperite's boots caused the old wooden floors to creak as he stepped over the hideous, lifeless figure before him. He knew could do it. He knew it. Of course he didn't doubt he could gather star seeds and further the goal of his new found organization. That wasn't what was in question. No, he wondered how it would feel to end a life. To completely eradicate another human being. To blow out the candle of the soul and draw the final curtain. . .

Doubt had emerged deep down, a rare occurrence for the cocky young man, and he had worried what it would do to him. But, there was nothing gut wrenching or tear worthy about the situation at all. In fact, it felt kind of nice to take something so miserable and worthless from the world.

Pride filled his somewhat inflated ego and he admired the star seed one final time, before placing it carefully into the multicolored sash.

"Talk about overkill! To think I almost thought this would take all night."  

[Syusaki]

Something inside of Sinon compelled her to henshi up every night and patrol through town in search of the murderous monsters that crept around. Vaguely she could remember the times she would excitingly run all over the city to finish off any and all youma in sight. It had gotten dull rather fast, though. Fast as lightning, perhaps? She had never particularly been the type that could passionately stick to one thing for long—there were a few exceptions to this, including her precious skateboarding. Sinon had a habit of wandering from one minor hobby to the next, from one hangout to another. She was like some modern vagabond. Doing the same things always got some boring, was her excuse.

Yeah, well, fighting youma was one “hobby” she could not arbitrarily abandon. Damn.

Her boots softly beating the ground, the soldier of lies dutifully followed after a canine youma. It whimpered, attempting to flee from the redhead as quickly as possible while simultaneously dragging one of its limp hind legs. She had managed to entangle it with her white twine, the wire deeply gnawing at its skin and fur until it left clean cuts, but sheer force managed to let the creature escape. Rather frustrating, in Sinon’s opinion.

Annoyed and wishing to just go straight home after this, she elongated her steps into long, smooth strides until she was close enough for a point blank attack. A gloved hand roughly gripped onto a fistful of fur and she gasped out her attack, “Sinon White Lies!” It howled as the solidified lies mercilessly twisted themselves around its body, squeezing the poor dog until it was reduced to fluttering dust.

A relieved Sinon slowed to a halt to admire her little handy work. Well, admire may not be the best choice of words. Perhaps mild interest? It was the most interesting thing around here at the moment, until she looked up at the dingy factory building that stood over her lanky form. There was nothing painfully ominous about it, though she could feel something awry about it. Maybe it was because she had found herself in unfamiliar territory. She could remember coming through this area a couple times, but had never managed to give it a good, curious sweep through.

She took a cautious step back, as if expecting for another monster to angrily bust through the rusty doors.  

[Moving Pictures]

Arrogance blinded the elegantly clad lieutenant. The small daggers of doubt and worry had completely vanished the moment he removed the star seed of that despicable old man and felt the otherworldly power of the small star seed in his hand. Whatever moral standing kept him from whole heartily moving forward for the Negaverse had been thrown to the wind and he was fully on cloud nine.

The pointed tip of his boots taped and clicked as he proceeded down the hallway towards to the stairwell leading to the first floor of the worn out old building. The unbearably disgusting decor and rampant rodent problem had greatly deterred him from entering at first, but for now, he was seeing the world around him in a new light. What he once considered the downfall of Destiny City would now be a small nook with a cozy warm memory of success.

"Hell yeah! I knew I had this! Screw anyone or anything that thought I wouldn't blow this out of the water!"

As he came to the bottom of the stairwell, he was blissfully unaware of the young lady, who happened to be the solider of lies, just outside the door. Oblivious to her struggle moments ago, he didn't even bother to try and sneak out of the building, in fact he just about skipped as he came out the rusted pair of doors.

Crimson eyes abruptly noticed the figure before him. Critical of the strange webbed attire and for the most part caught off guard, Esperite did what came naturally: attack.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"  

[Syusaki]

She could hear a man’s delighted voice echo from behind the doors and Sinon cocked an eyebrow, but when a blue-haired man clad in what reminded her of Greek (or was it Roman?) attire strolled out of the building her eyes immediately focused on his hands. There was a pale blue glow radiating from something in his tight fist, she observed. For a second she was clueless about what could possibly the object in his palm, though she knew that the boy’s unusual clothing screamed “danger”. But what was it, that dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach?

Quite bluntly, he asked her who she was and it clicked. He was holding a star seed. Body stiffening, Sinon commanded herself to not step back. That would be showing weakness, she keenly noted. Instead she stood tall, keeping her expression cool despite the flickering panic in her brown eyes. Impressed with how smooth and normal her voice managed to come out as, she answered, “Sailor Sinon, Soldier of Lies!” She uneasily shifted most of her weight onto one foot while warily eyeing him. “You’re part of the Negaverse, right? Perhaps one of the many measly ‘lieutenants’ that run around town?” She tried to sound casual, attempting to tease the boy. Rather than standing around like an idiot she should have done something more constructive. Escape. Attack.

But she was a bit too afraid to do that at the moment.  

[Moving Pictures]

Crimson eyes narrowed on their new target. Whoever this stranger was, Esperite was not amused or impressed. His or her appearance was not up to par and his critical eye quickly found more than a few flaws with the strange choice of attire. To say that he was unfamiliar with the senshi that dotted Destiny City would be a great understatement. In fact, in his introduction to their existence was so incredibly brief he could sum it up in two words: "senshi bad", but he wasn't about to admit that to the purple solider of lies before him.

"Hah, funny you should bring up measly. Maybe you have been avoiding mirrors lately, but you barely strike me as a threat!"

He shifted his position to a more defensive stance and tucked the glowing star seed into his sash. He wasn't about to lose his prize to some poorly dressed ambiguity. Quickly he scanned his immediate environment. Nothing stood out that would keep him from taking this punk down, but nothing was going to benefit him either. The few streetlights that still worked along the street illuminated the run down block and it seemed the two young warriors were alone as the moon was illuminating the now darkened sky. He focused again on the solider of lies. He wasn't one to let anyone who insults him off easy, but he had bigger priorities and that was collecting more starseeds. However, he wasn't above roughing her up after that minor verbal assault.

"Seems you should run on home if you know what's good for you. I've got grander plans that don't involve little boys in Halloween costumes. I'm sure you can go find some poor lost puppy to save before it gets to be your bedtime princess."  

[Syusaki]

She could feel his scrutinizing gaze and somehow mustered the will to not squirm under the inspection. Crossing her arms, Sinon casually pointed out, “Not like I had any say in my uniform. Rather lacking in the sensible department, don’t you think? Though I could easily say that yours isn’t exactly the smartest choice of clothes either.”

Sinon could now firmly conclude that the senshi and Negaverse had a cruel tendency to walk around in the craziest clothes chosen by God or some other higher being. They day she met a fellow powered comrade that donned practical clothes would be the day she quit skateboarding (which would be never). His retort made her temper flare. Her jaw stiffened as she held back a string of curses, instead opting to innocently stare back at him as she calmly replied, “Really? You don’t seem so dangerous to me either. Or maybe I’m supposed to be afraid of your rather ugly wardrobe?” Not like she had a right to speak when she found her own pair of clothes to be just as distasteful. Someone bring back her baggy, comfy shirts and pants.

Hearing his last comment, her disposition took a sour turn. “What?” Sinon asked curtly. She could care less about being called a “boy”, but being treated like a child was a different matter altogether. “Funny, why don’t you try and say that to my face?” she goaded, taking a few daring steps forward and gesturing with her hands for him to walk over. Then maybe she could give him a hard punch to the face.  

[Moving Pictures]

Dusky orange light was all that was left as the two figures were alone on the dirty streets of the abandoned business district. Esperite quickly scanned the area before choosing to continue acknowledging the young girl before him. He originally hoped his venture into the slums would only take half an hour at most. Hopes were high that he could relinquish multiple starseeds after his first victory with the homeless man a few stories above their heads. He was done with the useless banter. The time had come and gone for him to head to bigger and greater things. This night was his and he wasn't about to let this sailor solider stranger steal his glory.

"It is very hard for me to take fashion advice from girls that can't pick a gender. I'll give you one last chance to apologize properly. Groveling would be the best start. I'm sure a loser like you is used to that anyways."

Arms crossed in arrogant superiority to the solider of lies. He enjoyed playing with fools and wanted to make this particular one dance. However, there was just one problem: he didn't want to take the time to pull her strings just right. He wanted more starseeds, not more laughs. Ignoring his own request, he brandished his plastic daggers and strode right over to her and quickly slammed both arms against her in an effort to knock her down onto the dirty street.

"Kind of hard to look you in the face when you are about to face the pavement."

Ugly and uncalled for perhaps, but Esperite wasn't about to play this cool. He then changed his stance from pure arrogant superiority to a more battle ready pose, complete with daggers ready.  

[Syusaki]

“Oh really now? Most people can realize that I’m a girl. Maybe I should staple the words ‘clueless idiot’ to your forehead, then?” retorted Sinon, cocking an eyebrow at him. Her expression turning even more incredulous, she scoffed and crossed her arms. “Apologize? Very funny, because I won’t even think of apologizing unless you apologize first.” She didn’t see that happening anytime soon, if at all.

He strolled over, plastic daggers dully gleaming in the moonlight as he roughly pushed her backwards. A baffled soldier of lies stumbled back a couple steps, but was far from losing her balance—even with her clunky boots. Although she had saved herself from falling embarrassment, Sinon vehemently glared at Esperite. For a while she had a rather simple view of lieutenants. In a nutshell, they were just another citizen of the town. Optimistic, but it worked nonetheless.

But that simplistic opinion would be changing very soon.

“Huh. I don’t seem to facing the pavement at the moment. In fact, I think it’s you about to face it.” He had already shifted into a fighting stance, ready for a battle that Sinon was all too pleased to give. Her right hand balled into a tight fist, Sinon took two long strides forward to close the distance between them. “Sinon White Lies!” She had never found much logic in calling out one’s attack, but as she channeled her anger into the shout, Sinon found it to be beneficial for once as she pushed her fist forward and aimed for his face.

It was fast and smooth—or so she hoped.  

[Moving Pictures]

White threads danced a dangerous waltz as they encircled the crimson eyed lieutenant. Sinon's costume didn't give away her attack as Esperite had hoped. Caught off guard by her ability, his right arm and leg became entangled in the intricate web. Annoyed and frustrated, he tested his weight against them before trying to break free. While the web hadn't caused any instant damage, his arm and leg were on the verge of a twist if he didn't break free soon. Esperite was more than bothered by the surprise attack.

At first, he tried to untangle his arm and leg by pulling them out carefully, avoiding a new strand of white thread as he moved. However, this didn't work at all. Frustrated, he let out a grunt and used his left dagger to quckly tear through the thread. His arm and leg were sore from the ordeal and he was a bull seeing red. He wasn't going to allow this tomboy to make a fool of him. Never. Not even once. No one stood in his way and no one would ever cross him and walk away unscathed. Feigning indifference, he retorted her comments.

"Sorry if I'm not into the whole butch girl scene. I prefer beauty over the circus attractions. Cute parlor trick by the way. What's next a can of worms?"

Quickly shaking his right arm and leg to check their condition. Pissed off and annoyed, he quickly moved towards the girl again. This time he made a false pass with both daggers at her throat, but his true goal was the solider of lies' knees. A crimson and gold boot made it's way in the form of a low kick towards the senshi's body.  

[Syusaki]

She had never been that confident in her fighting skills. The senshi got rid of youma on a daily basis, sure, but they were incredibly animalistic—hence their moves easy to predict. People, on the other hand, were more difficult to handle. Sometimes the battle took unexpected twists. Sometimes they didn’t. Sometimes Sinon never got a chance to attack. Sometimes the other person didn’t have the opportunity to fight back. There was never a predictable formula the redhead could perpetually rely on, making her wish that fights like these could be turn-based, like in some video games.

Though her heart gleefully soared, hoping that yes, she could have the advantage this time around, Sinon’s dreams quickly sunk when he snipped the threads with his daggers with laughable ease. Oh, she was definitely in trouble. She could feel it in her bones. Stubbornly, she swallowed her dread. There was always a chance to win . . . hopefully.

“Is your day job to be a comedian, by any chance? Your jokes are an absolute riot,” she retorted with narrowed eyes before they bulged out as she took a hasty step backwards to avoid the plastic blades. It wasn’t life threatening, but it sure would still hurt like hell. Although the kick was painful, fortunately it wasn’t a direct blow to the knees. She briefly wobbled and flailed her arms before finally crashing to the ground.

Gritting her teeth, Sinon retaliated by swinging her legs to trip the lieutenant.  

[Moving Pictures]

Pride and frustration helped the ambitious lieutenant push back the pain from Sinon's earlier assault. Still feeling the twist and uncomfortable contortion, he wasn't back at one hundred percent. Esperite hoped she wouldn't notice the lack of precision in his movements. His concentration was being blinded by his growing anger. Not to say he had fully lost his composure, not by any means. However, the carefully attentive strikes were fast approaching a more brutal combat style that focused more on cruelty than victory.

"Hah! You just lack timing and a sense of humor. Maybe if you could keep up verbally, this battle would be more interesting. I take it you don't have a clue how to keep up playful banter? Sad really. Though I'm not surprised with how pathetic you have already revealed yourself to be."

Keeping a firm grip on both daggers, he moved closer to her position on the pavement. Though what was just moments ago a slight advantage on his part for victory, was quickly knocked down a few pegs. Sinon's sweep knocked hard against his boots. A painful step back and streak of pain of both legs was his reward for trying to hurry his victory along.

"Argh, screw you tranny!"

The deviant who enjoyed playing with his prey was quickly fading. The mask of elegance and pride was getting harder for Esperite to maintain. With this in mind, he stepped out behind the mask and made a slight dive to impale his twin daggers into his frustrating opponent. Sure, they wouldn't break the skin, but she would certainly feel it in the morning.  

[Syusaki]

“Really? I didn’t realize that witty banter was so essential to winning a battle. I guess I’ll have to study up for next time, huh?” she managed to sneer. Sinon attempted to hastily scramble back to her feet before the lieutenant could throw in another jab at her. Watching him stumble back a couple steps through the corners of her eyes, she grinned. Now if only he had fallen to the ground just like she had moments ago, then she would have paid him back in full!

She stepped forward, planning to vent her frustration out on Esperite until he stopped her with his own dissatisfaction. “Tranny?” gawked the senshi of lies. Tomboy was a rather common title for her, but transsexual? She wanted to ask what was wrong with being a transsexual?

Caught off guard by the befuddling comment, Sinon never had the chance to react to his next attack. She sharply inhaled, flinching from the pain as he drove the plastic diggers into her stomach. One eye wincing, she curled over and protectively covered her torso. Thank God it was hardly enough to warrant a trip to the doctor, but boy did it hurt.

Pushing pass the aches, she seethed as she pulled back a fist. She left one arm to shield her stomach and somehow, Sinon mustered out the energy to weakly call out, “Sinon White Lies!”  

[Moving Pictures]

"Essential is the word I would use for you. It is obvious I greatly overestimated your mental capabilities. For a he/she that looks like it crawled out of the dumpster, I suppose you are doing as well as you can."

Sinon's pain and the fact that his dagger assault actually landed boosted his confidence. Not quite back to cloud nine, but he was getting there. He figured he possessed the upper hand in the battle given his taller stature and lack of information on senshi. For all he knew, the Negaverse bred stronger soldiers and this assumption was exactly what he needed to believe. However, Sinon's threads once again landed as the danced their dangerous dance around his body. This time, his right leg was tangled up between most of the threads. Better than losing access to one of his plastic daggers, but not so great to be forced to hobble on one heeled foot.

"You really are a one trick pony. Don't you have any other useless circus tricks to throw at me? Perhaps you will start juggling discarded liquor bottles? I take it you are no stranger to things that are discarded and thrown out."  

[Syusaki]

Sinon was not pleased, not pleased at all. How was she supposed to reply to that? She may be the soldier of lies, but that didn’t mean she was skilled with words. It was quite the opposite, actually. Screw diction and witty puns.

Reluctantly, she tightly glued her lips together and refused to answer his insult for fear of sounding like an idiot. She probably looked stupid either way, whether she remained quiet or actually attempted to create a smart come back. Sinon tried not to sourly hold onto this sense of loss. There was still the matter of how the heck she was supposed to win this fight. She could throw as many attacks as she wanted, but he had a point—it was the same thing over and over, and they both knew he could cut through them no problem. Why did she have only one attack?! Dammit.

“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” she replied automatically, familiar with her mother’s constant cries of the pig sty that was her room. Finding it useless to continue purely relying on her attack, Sinon quickly called it out (hopefully) one last time, “Sinon White Lies!” She was tempted to run forward and punch him (preferably in the face) while he wasted a few seconds untangling himself, but she found her legs slowly taking her backwards.

The realization that she couldn’t fight finally dawned to her. If she was going to win this it would be with sheer luck, but she never had much luck to start with.  

[Moving Pictures]

Floating around him in an enclosing array, white threads quickly tangled up his right leg and right arm. Tightening around each limb if he applied physical force and leaving him to once again cut his way through with the dull dagger that remained. Thankfully, he was not caught off guard by their presence. Sinon's attack was longer an eye opener for the crimson eyed lieutenant. Quickly and with great precision, he loosened his constraints and watched as the threads disappeared into the abyss from which they came. Though something else did take him by surprise, Sinon didn't seize the moment to give him a black eye or hearty tackle. Esperite gained his sly smile once more. She was getting tired and the fight in her was fading with her energy. Sure, Esperite was forcing back the ache in his body from their lengthy encounter. However, nothing made his heart beat faster than the sweet taste of victory and he could tell he was about to feast.

"It must be so embarrassing to be in your position right now. I can't even begin to fathom what imminent defeat tastes like, especially for one who is probably so used to such occurrences. Well, I guess there isn't any choice, but to put an end to this little dance of ours. Can't say you've been the best partner, probably the worst, if I had to compare you to the others. Oh, speaking of the others, give them a message for me.."

Leaving his voice to trail off for a few, brief seconds, Teddy raised his heeled boot and planted a full force kick to Sinon's head. Knocking the poor girl unconscious for few minutes. Unbeknown-st to her, he wouldn't have lasted much longer, the body would have simply stopped and any chance of retaliation would have assured victory. However, Esperite was the lucky one tonight. Looking over her, he finished his message.

"Learn your place, senshi-trash."

With those words, he jumped up to the fire escape and made his way to the rooftop of the abandoned factory, adjacent to their street battle. As the gold heel tapped against the rooftops, he tried to push away the exhaustion that consumed his entire body. Thankfully, he didn't have yoga class in the morning. He hated to arouse any suspicion.