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 Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:14 pm
"Welcome to this illusion I've created. A world of our own, with our own rules."
Title: Illusion
RPers: Sakurazuka-sama as Sakurazuka Seishirou, Phiso as Sumeragi Subaru
Setting: The enormous sakura tree located in Tokyo's Ueno Park
Plot: There is an unusual series of deaths occuring in Tokyo, one that baffles detectives and the police but not the head of the Sumeragi clan. Sure of who is behind it, Subaru heads for the only meeting place he can think of, his hunter already waiting for the prey.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:25 pm
Sumeragi Subaru walked through the familiar streets of Tokyo quietly, slipping through the crowds like smoke as his feet led him to his destination. The wind brushed him softly, trying to comfort him, to keep him from going, but he ignored it. He had long since stopped relying on signs from nature or heeding their warnings.
Ueno park was usually full this time of year, hundreds flocking to catch a glimpse of the hypnotizing cherry blossoms during the day and the hanabi during the night. It had rained all that afternoon, however, and so had damped the park's festivities. It was empty now, darkening quickly as the sun set behind him.
Before long, Subaru reached the sakura blossom tree, before which he had met the man that would ultimately change his life forever. The smell of wet earth and dying leaves was strong in the air, giving the impression of a large tomb. What little light was left flittered through the branches, and sakura petals softly rained down upon him, the ancient symbolism mourning his death before it even occured. Subaru wondered if perhaps they were right to lament.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:29 pm
Seishirou was leaning against the other side of the grand tree. A fresh body had been interred and his hands still had traces of blood on them. He pushed up his sunglasses as he watched the sun setting beyond the horizon. The rays faded like the last of the lifeblood he had taken from his victim. Naturally, Seishirou thought it was beautiful.
He was glad to be in such a calm, content mood when he knew he was to face the one and only Subaru. With an all-knowing mysterious smile, Seishirou revealed himself to the one he knew was waiting.
"Ah, Subaru-kun..." he said in an almost tender and adoring voice. He took a moment to admire the one who had come there just to see him. "How nice to see you here so unexpectedly. Are you here for the view?"
The sakura petals continued to fall and Seishirou enjoyed to watch as they fluttered down around Subaru.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:46 pm
Subaru's expression never waivered, though he felt his heart beat a thousand times faster the moment the haunting face revealed itself. His eyes flittered down to the man's hands, a blazing scarlet red painting them like ink and dripping onto the ground below his feet. Suddenly, it seemed, the sakura petals fell pink.
"Seishirou-san," Subaru said evenly, choosing conciously to use the honorific. "You know very well why I'm here."
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 2:16 pm
"Do I?" He answered stubbornly with a smile. He reached into one of his pockets for his cigarettes and slipped one between his lips. The assassin sighed when his wet, bloodied hand had trouble getting it alight. After inhaling and exhaling the first puffs of smoke, Seishirou looked up at Subaru with a twinkle in his eye. Well, maybe I do know...
"I'm touched that you go through all this trouble to find me..." he said as he stepped towards the younger man. He hoped to catch him flinching. Even a slightly more pained expression made by Subaru was enthralling. "Unfortunately, I think I've been here too long."
He had every intention of walking past Subaru and going home for a rest.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 2:57 pm
Seishirou was not disappointed. Subaru managed to keep a straight face on when the assassin was a safe distance away, but as he grew closer the mask became more and more difficult to keep up. Finally, the young man looked down and away, his hair covering his eyes. He paused, curling and uncurling his ungloved hands nervously, before speaking again.
"Why are you doing this?" he said, happy, at least, to hear that his voice came out clear and strong. "Your choice of prey has never been this random, nor has it been many. It's as if you're preparing for something."
Subaru hadn't meant to say this last part, hadn't expected it, but it came out nonetheless. His mind was racing, suddenly trying to find some way, any way, to keep Seishirou here, to keep him from leaving. Perhaps that was why he had said what he did, merely as an attempt to keep the shadow from escaping.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 3:16 pm
Seishirou felt every tension that Subaru was passing through with great pleasure. Still, he was moderately surprised at his tone of voice and what he chose to say. His boot stepped back, making a faint sound among the leaves.
He turned to face Subaru, but not fully, as if to say the young man couldn't keep him there much longer no matter how hard he tried. "I am the Sakurazukamori. I do my job."
Who they were or how many victims there were didn't matter in the slightest. Subaru should know that. Noticing Subaru's pale uncovered hands, Seishirou couldn't resist himself. Quickly, with his bloodied hand, he took Subaru's hand in his own, bringing it dangerously close to his lips. His face faintly showed that he was having fond memories of branding him as a boy.
"Don't worry. Your time will come soon enough."
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 4:30 pm
Subaru let out a soft hiss as Seishirou brought his hand up to his lips, his face contorted in an expression of disgust and fury. Memories of that day flooded Subaru's mind, the naivete he held in wondering why the young man had been covered in the red liquid, the thick stench of iron, the seemingly constant fluttering of the sakura petals. His anger went inwards, towards himself, rather than towards Seishirou.
Forcing his emotions down, Subaru managed to smoothen out his face once more in a beautiful porcelain mask. But when would that time come? When?
"Don't play with me as if I was some sort of mouse," Subaru said coldly, smoothly slipping his hand out of Seishirou's. "I'm not a child anymore."
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 5:10 pm
"Yes you are," Seishirou answered softly and with a superior glance. Whether he meant his words or not was uncertain. Seishirou liked to believe that even after everything Subaru suffered, his heart was the same. By nature, Subaru would always be pure and innocent to him.
He smiled because he wondered how Subaru would fare in the upcoming chaos that was certain to cause more pain to everyone on the planet. Maybe toying like this with Subaru was a pointless game, but Seishirou wasn't about to stop. He stepped even closer, uncaring to anything Subaru was thinking, towering over him with his intimidating height. "But you can always try to change my mind, Subaru-kun."
He saw an opportunity to provoke more. Taking his bloody hand, he wiped it clean on Subaru's perfectly white coat. It was convenient for two things. His hand was now clean and Subaru was likely even more disturbed than before.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 5:27 pm
Subaru did not flinch, even as Seishirou tainted his immaculate coat with the spilt blood of another. His dull olive eyes blazed out against Seishirou's own amber, a weak imitation of his once emerald gaze. His hands trembled at his sides; with a slip of his fingers, a thin slip of paper appeared in his palm.
Without thinking, without caring about the consequences, the ofuda was aimed and plastered onto Seishirou's chest, Subaru gracefully jumping back like a crane to a safe distance. He knew in the back of his mind what Seishirou was referring to, and despite the desire that he held in his heart, he knew he couldn't abandon the city to the likes of him. If possible, if possible, perhaps he would be able to manage a double hit, a double end.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 7:37 pm
Seishirou felt the sting instantly. Before it could turn into a burn and something even more severe, he got on his guard. Seven shikigami materialized in the air. Three were vaporized by Subaru's ofuda, but the others launched their own attack at the green-eyed man.
Seishirou already felt safe. Subaru was never a match for him. The only thing he was worried about was the scorch marks on his favorite coat.
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:32 pm
Subaru had expected the counter; he had summoned four of his own shikigami, three colliding with Seishirou's black birds and bursting along with their enemy, another aiming for Seishirou.
He knew that he would never be able to beat the Sakurazukamori. But, Subaru thought grimly as he contemplating summoning a new spell of his, that wasn't the point.
Uncertain of his decision, Subaru quickly fired a ribbon of razor-sharp ofuda at the assassin, fully expecting his attack to be obsolete but using it as more of a distraction to buy time. He had only discovered the spirit shield spell by accident no more than two weeks ago; he didn't even know if it was required of him to summon it yet. What would happen if he did? Would there be consequences he wasn't prepared to face yet?
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:20 am
With impressive speed, Seishirou moved. Subaru wouldn't even be able to see him moving unless he was paying a vast amount of attention to him. Seishirou appeared again at Subaru's right after having evaded every attack.
"Ah...Is this how badly you want to kill me?" He said with a little bit of disappointment. For someone who lives to kill me, I think he could do better. Seishirou smiled a little sadly. Apparently, he needed to be provoked more.
A massive hawk swooped in from the sky and dove in close proximity of Subaru's face; claws were bared to nick at his beautiful flesh. It was for distraction and intimidation purposes because, at the same moment, Seishirou's hands flicked in front of his face and a dozen powerful ofuda imprinted brightly with the inverted pentagram appeared to attack Subaru.
Since he was much closer to Subaru now, the likelihood of hits was higher. Seishirou didn't wait to see the damage he had done, because he knew Subaru would still be alive even if all of the ofuda hit. Maybe.
Soon the hawk perched on Seishirou's shoulder, and he was left watching a cloud of dust settle.
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 9:53 am
Subaru started, his eyes wide as he turned and faced Seishirou, his body trembling. A faint crease appeared on his brow as he tried to calm himself, to keep his heart from beating so wildly it might burst out of his chest, but he failed. Seishirou's words pierced him, leaving him temporarily frozen in shock as he tried to register the words.
"Is this how badly you want to kill me?"
Swallowing became difficult, and the world around him hazed out for a moment; an image of his sister appeared in his mind, her back turned to him, beautiful and terrible in her pure white shikifuku, a red stain slowly growing like a parasite from her torso.
Suddenly, a noise tore him out of his throughts; falling back, Seishirou's hawk barely missed him, cutting his cheek and spilling blood on his white collar. Knowing instinctively it was a diversion Subaru twisted in mid-air, throwing two handfuls of white ofuda like daggers. It was too late to stop the majority of the attack - Subaru cursed inwardly, feeling stupid for allowing himself to be distracted so easily - but that didn't matter. He had cast a simple shielding spell on himself before coming, one that managed to reduce the blow but was broken otherwise. He would not be able to rely on it again.
The blow left his jacket dusty, a few cuts on the sleeves. He felt bruises forming under sleeves, his arm screaming in protest as he slid sideways; his boots dug into the ground for friction, and he bent his legs for control; his hand scraped the sharp rocks and twigs as they led his leaning body to a stop. The cloud was thick, but Subaru used it to his advantage, weaving his thin fingers together as he stood, his lips murmured a spell.
It was difficult to concentrate on the words; panting slightly, he kept wondering if Seishirou had noticed the ofuda positioned around him, glued magically to the trunks of various trees. Sparks of electricity flew from them before beams of light emitted from them, forming a star around the Sakurazukamori.
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:48 am
Seishirou's gaze concentrated on the spilled blood on Subaru's cheek. There was something about blood on Subaru's face that always go to him. He tried not to let himself be distracted so that he would be able to notice Subaru taking this battle up a notch.
Although Seishirou liked to encourage Subaru in his desire to avenge his sister, he really would like to go home for a shower. He was a little hungry too. Grabbing a smoothie on the way home didn't sound like a bad idea...Oh, the battle. Almost forgot.
The park was suddenly getting too small for their game. Seishirou stepped back a few steps and murmured his own spell in preparation for what was to come.
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