Search, Rescue, Destroy (MATURE)

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:40 pm

"I'm just like my father...aren't I?" Blade said to him.

Soran took a moment to realize the boy was not referring to him, and another moment to ty to understand what he meant by those words. "You've been raised as a prince," he said, choosing his words carefully but speaking them directly. "And I think that has led you to the incorrect assumption that you are worldly enough to command adults to your bidding and judge situations independently." Soran looked over at Blade and tried to make eye contact. Because if the boy resembled anyone, it was him. "It's a very, very hard thing to do everything on your own. I don't understand why you try it when you don't even have to. It seems that enormous expectations were placed on you by your people, as a Dark Angel and as a prince, but I want you to rethink them. Accept help when it's there." He faltered a little as he said it. It was slightly incredible that those last words were coming from his mouth.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:19 pm

Blade thought hard but just, unfortunately, he currently could not see how his people were at fault. They needed a leader, especially now. It was he duty to lead them, in his blood. But he didn't disregard Soran's words, he thought about them hard, trying to figure it out. Being a Prince, he was supposed to make all the decisions, wasn't he?

"I will try." he said in the end, seeing no other way to respond. He knew he had to change, at least for Soran since he was his elder. It was also in his mind that, his mother needed all the help she could get. To him, she seemed very needed, even though it was not true at all. Maybe it was his own, deep guilt for feeling as though he was an unwanted curse on her. He was trying hard to prove that, despite how Gabriel had treated her, he himself could be better. In the end, unbeknown est to him, it's what kept him from excepting Soran as an ally to protect his mother.

"I... I will be fine, love." Mizuki said, holding her head lightly and trying to steady herself. "Just dizzy." she smiled at Rai, "It'll pass."

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:24 pm

'Try' frankly didn't sound good enough to Soran, but the rogue restrained his retort. He would give the kid the benefit of the doubt; he was Mizuki's son, after all. He just hoped the kid's ego didn't put them all in danger.

"That's all," he said flatly to the boy to let him know he was done. He tried not to get caught up in those green eyes that kept feeling like a mirror when he looked at them.

Now, there was the issue of getting across the border without the benefit of provisions or supplies. Soran looked back at the others. It still took a second glance to recognize Rai standing there in his coat, and he'd almost forgotten how....bloody Mizuki was. What had she done to get that much gore on her? He longed more than ever for a private opportunity to talk to her, but they had to run.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:21 pm

Blade nodded, grim determination set on his face as he focused his attention on their flight through the border. This time, he would do better.

Mizuki lowered her hand from her head and felt her stomach. Queasy, but it was ebbing away. Sort of. Every time she thought about it it was like another unforgiving wave. A smashed head, a slit throat. It had really gotten the best of her, her anger. But, really, it was more than that. Everything could have been different, he'd still be alive, she wouldn't have had to kill him. But other things wouldn't have been, and it was unfair to think and to want what was no longer attainable. She loved Soran, loved Rai, and loved Blade. Now, she couldn't think of not having them, but did Luc really have to pay that price?

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:22 pm

Soran frowned as his eyes met Mizuki's. "Are you okay to be running?" he asked over his shoulder, a bit of his inner anxiety making its way into his voice.

Sid bent forward so that he was at eye level with Rai. "Same to you, little lady. Need a lift?"

Nothing much could happen in the way of answers, though, but at about that moment the ground under Soran's feet slid. He found himself half tumbling and half skating down a steep hill of loose rocks and dirt. The high shrubs he'd been wading through had concealed it well. The rather undignified descent left the rogue unharmed, but startled about fifteen feet below the others. "Interesting," he muttered, standing up from where he'd landed on his rump at the bottom. "Knock it off," he commanded as he noticed Sid grinning madly from the top of the hill.

"Oh come on, Rhen, it looked fun. I'm sure you did it entirely on purpose," Sid teased. He looked a bit serious about the 'fun' part, though.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:26 pm

Rai was about to answer Sid when her father took the tumble. Too see that he was fine only made it more funny than it had been originally. She laughed softly. "It did look fun!" she replied to him, taking Sid's side for the moment.

"Is that hall we should all come down?" she asked him, leaning a little bit forward over the slope to see if there was a more gentle route to go down.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:27 pm

Blade bit back a laugh. having almost succumbed to the fall himself but his wings had caught him. He hovered for a bit then landed back on his feet just before the hill. He felt bad for Soran having been the only one to experience that fall.

Mizuki looked down, perplexed by the whole thing. Her current state of drowsy and nausea intermixing made her unable to find the humor in the situation.

"Soran," she strained to say through another bout of nausea, "What on earth did you do?"

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:40 pm

Sid patted Rai's head approvingly. "I like the way you think, kid," he praised. But then he noticed the unsteady tone in Mizuki's voice and looked over to find her looking pale. He wasn't the only one; Soran was watching her alertly from the base of the dirt hill. He didn't have to say that he was worried; his face and posture said it all.

"Well then," Sid said more calmly and almost tactfully, like he was stepping between a jumper and a bridge. "Miss Mizuki, forgive me, but I think I'd better carry you down. Before we all get the pleasure of watching Rhen try to climb back up. If we get just a bit further, we should be able to rest safely."

Post by **Emora Deen** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 11:44 pm

Rai tilted her head and gave Blade a wink. She sat on the edge of the hill before lying on her side and giving herself a little tilt. Then suddenly she was rolling down the hill, laughing the hole way.

"Weeee!" she laughed, rolling until she finally came to a stop at Soran's feet. Her coat drape a little dissheveled and displaying a good view of her long legs, she seemed otherwise at ease, grinning up at her father. "Sorry, I just couldn't resist!" Leaves and twigs had found there way into her curly hair and she had a small smudge of dirt across her pretty cheek.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:50 pm

Mizuki gave Sid what looked like a confused look, but really she understood. Blade had to bite back the protest to say that he could handle his mother. He watched his mother unsteadily accept Sid's care and Blade hovered behind them both as they descended down carefully.

Mizuki's eyes looked empty and haunted, which completely mirrored how she felt inside. In the end, she never got away from the guilt of having killed Luc. As it were, she got to avenge him, but she felt like it was hollow. Luc wasn't reaping the benefits of the vengeance. Although, Mizuki could now close that chapter of her life assuredly. If Luc was paying attention at all in the Spirit Realm, she hoped his soul would feel closure.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:30 pm

Sid looked a bit impressed with Rai as he guided Mizuki down the steep path. More than once, his boots lost traction and he had to lift Mizuki slightly to slide in balance with her. Soran's gaze flicked from the girl to the woman he loved as they descended. Rai reached him first, and seemed not only unhurt, but relatively pleased with herself. Releasing a grudging sigh, he refocused on Mizuki as she came within reach.

Soran eased her forward from Sid's careful grip and half-lifted her the last foot to where he was standing. He's meant to just help her down, but his arms folded around her and he stepped forward so that their bodies touched. He didn't know what had happened to her, at least not yet, but something was torturing her, and he didn't think it was just the trauma of being kidnapped. Sid jumped to the ground next to the silent embrace and crouched casually next to Rai. "Have fun?" he smirked to the girl, picking a leaf out of her hair and setting it on her nose.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:37 pm

Blade was the last to land, and he carefully avoided interrupting Mizuki and Soran. They needed time together, although it tore at him to not be the one comforting her currently. She was his mother... he loved her. He tore his attention away from them and went to Rai.

"I suspect she did." he managed to smile, looking down at his sister with pride.

Mizuki lingered in Soran's embrace, not wanting to leave and at the same time wanting to hold off from confronting him about it all. She knew he wouldn't take the information regarding Luc well, but it was apart of the entire problem with her. She couldn't tell him... couldn't...

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:45 pm

Soran pulled his neck back enough to look down at her face. "Tell me what's happening," he said calmingly, his voice barely a whisper as he stroked a lock of blood-dried hair gently out of her face. "If it's easier," he said thoughtfully, and then dropped his voice into his thoughts, 'tell me this way.' He studied her uncertainly, because he didn't know if she could hear him.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:49 pm

If anything, she actually had jerked back and closed off her mind. She couldn't risk that, he'd know everything he shouldn't or want to know. Now she fully understood how he felt in the beginning.

"I... just..." her voice dropped to a low whisper and she buried her face into his chest. "I'm tired... tired of being man-handled..." True as it was, the general had intended the very thing she never wanted to experience again, but it wasn't why she had killed him. No, she had killed him for Luc for the most part. What she said wasn't everything, it was true but not everything...

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:56 pm

Soran's mind felt something like a door closing. He'd been told before that he had very strong walls in his head, but never been aware of how they worked. Now, feeling Mizuki pull back, he thought that he had some sense of what it sounded like in reverse. It didn't hurt, it was just an invisible connection that was there, and then wasn't.

Her words filled the silence in his head, and his eyes widened as a horror he hadn't even suspected flashed through his mind. He cupped his hands around both her shoulders and forced his expression to be calm. "Did someone hurt you again?" he asked very quietly.