thenearshore | find me a find, catch me a catch (closed)

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find me a find, catch me a catch (closed)

Who: Cho Hakkai and Kozukata Yuri
What: Hakkai discovers he has a new goddess. Maybe the fourth time's the charm?
Where: Yuri's temple
When: Morning, June 12th
Warnings: Mention of suicide/self-destructive tendencies.

[Hakkai rarely sleeps in, but for once, he finds himself floating slowly back to consciousness well after dawn. His half-open eyes register, blurrily, filtered sunlight lighting the room. The bed is soft, and he rolls over, tugging a sheet up over his shoulders.

The bed is very soft. Springs creak softly in the mattress as he moves, and alarm filters slowly down through his sleepy thoughts. He had not gone to sleep in a bed with a mattress, after all. He'd gone to sleep on a futon in the spare room at the school. It had not been nearly so comfortable, and the window was in the wrong place, and --

Like a fuse burning down to the charge, the alarm finally hits him and he is propelled violently to his feet, fists clenching as he stares around the room. He'd thought he had time. He had thought a few days without a god wouldn't be too much, when some shinki had gone much longer than that. He had been wrong, he admits bitterly, and looks down at his hands. The only markings there are his vines, winding up his wrists in a green so dark that it's almost black to disappear under the soft long-sleeved T-shirt he'd worn to bed in an entirely different place last night. There isn't a mirror in the room. If he wants to find his new name, he's going to have to leave it, and face his new god.

Who is his new god? Hakkai rubs the back of his hand over his left eye, brushing away the grittiness of sleep, and blinks against the blurriness left behind for a few seconds. He doesn't really want to know. He doesn't recognize the bedroom, but he hasn't seen the inside of many temples, either. After a second of indecision, he closes his eyes, opens them again, and walks over to the window, looking out onto the temple grounds.

A rotting noose hangs from a tree not ten paces outside the window.

This is Yuri's temple.

Panic surges back up to close icy hands around his throat, and he stumbles back until one leg hits the bed and he sits down hard. No. He doesn't want to lose another god. He doesn't want to lose another friend. If he's a curse -- and he is a curse, isn't he? The certainty, owing less to logic than he wishes it did, sickens him -- then there are gods who can handle themselves, and gods whose loss he won't mourn, and he doesn't care about going without if he has no other choice. But not her. He checks his hands again, as though a name could have appeared without his noticing, and then looks again out the window.

There's a faint image of his face reflected there, almost invisible, but enough to pick out a tracery of red down the right side of his face, across the lid of his false eye, curling around the end of the vine on his cheek. There's no doubting it: he has a new goddess.

Cold and faint, Hakkai closes his eyes again, and leans on the windowsill as he fights to pull himself back under control.]

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Ah, I see. [Night. The identical pronunciation, though, and that can't be a coincidence if the dark water was supposed to flow from the underworld and needed to be blocked by the spirits of the dead.

Hakkai smiles humorlessly at Yuri's joke. It's funny because it's entirely plausible that the Heavens would arrange such a thing to ensure that the gates to the underworld remained closed.

Or, should that be: it's not funny because...?]

Yes, it's possible to enter the underworld, but very dangerous. I went there with my first goddess.

[He wraps his hands back around his cup, glancing up at her with a falsely mild expression.]

Are you considering a visit?

[Elsa, she recalls, and she tilts her head up in acknowledgement, eyeing him curiously. What had they been running around the underworld for??]

Ah. [The question gives her pause. She'd been fully prepared back home to go running into the Shadowspring and confront Ouse, willing to accept whatever that confrontation would bring. She's not sure what the point would be of entering the underworld right now, but she is curious.]

I'm not sure. It'd be interesting to see, but I'm not sure if I'd find anything that'd make the trip worthwhile... [Except her own satisfied curiosity maybe]

All we found were ayakashi and ... I suppose "vengeful demons" is the easiest way to describe it. They resembled rotting women's bodies with long hair that moved on its own.

[Speaking of pleasant topics! He adds, thoughtfully:]

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a combat expert. We barely escaped and one shinki was killed.

[That sounds familiar, minus the hair moving on its own. Sheesh.]

Ah...Well, I suppose that rules me out then. [She winces, irritated by the logic of it all and the acknowledgement of her limitations.]

Speaking of, I suppose we should figure out what you turn into, right? If you'd like. [Or he can rest for a little while longer, whatever.] If you turn into a weapon I'll have to actually learn how to properly fight, I suppose.

[It's sort of a joke.]

Oh, that's true. Sorry, I'm not used to... being assigned like this.

[When he's been named, he's transformed at once, right at first. He hasn't had to learn what he changes into since Elsa.

It hasn't even been that long, has it? A few months. He says ha, under his breath, and picks up the coffee to take a deep swig. It's cool enough now not to burn his tongue, and the bitterness seems to clear his head.]

I've been a weapon every time so far, but, you know, even if I'm not for you, you should learn to fight.

[He sets the coffee down, pushing it a few inches away to ensure it won't be knocked over when she calls him.]

[She waves a hand--don't worry about it--and pushes her chair away to stand a few steps away from the table, just in case. Neji had nearly taken her arm off when he'd transformed into his bird form the first time, so she's a little wary.

She does give him a flat, mildly irritated look at the suggestion though, again not exactly pleased to be brought up against logic like that.] I know. Neji's said about as much and I'm fairly sure he might be trying to kill me under the guise of training me. [Ninjas are the Worst please spare her. Save her.] But-- I suppose it's true enough, that I should get to trying actual weapons...

[Ugh. She eyes him again and the mark over his eye--what an interesting kanji, she wonders if the Heavens chose it themselves--and takes a breath.] ...Come, Gekiki.

[And while Yuri isn't sure what to expect, the trenchcoat definitely isn't even near the list. Yuri looks down at herself in surprise, turning her body to look at it as much as she can (suddenly she sort of wishes for a mirror) and smooths her hands down the front.

Then immediately snatches her hands away, holding them up up in an awkwardly defensive sort of gesture and frowns. Was that weird?? She was wearing him could he feel that? This is weird.] Well, I guess we don't have to worry bout not knowing how to wield you...

No, I suppose not.

[Gekiki? Is that really his name? It sounds like a tree frog noise, and he's really going to have to get a closer look in a mirror at that character inscribed across his eye, he thinks, because it's easier than thinking about the fact that Yuri is now wearing him and that is really a bit awkward.

He'd teased Gojyo about wielding him -- that had been the day before Gojyo disappeared, and remembering their banter stings, now -- but he'll have to avoid teasing Yuri. At least until they're both a bit more comfortable with this.

There's something to be said, he supposes, for the fact that he's a coat and that means she's wearing him over her outfit and generally not against bare skin.]

But I'm not sure I'll be very useful in a fight this way, either. Perhaps I'm your armor.

Maybe... I suppose once we get into a battle we can see if there's more-- I'm sure there has to be. Otherwise I suppose I'm not meant to be on the front lines.

[Yuri turns this way and that to try and check herself out from all angles, indulging in a more feminine desire than she usually does. Does it look good on her?? It--He??--seems to fit well and it's a nice color and material...

Okay that's not the point here and she stops, feeling embarrassed and self-conscious suddenly.]

Well, that's probably for the best anyhow. [But if she concentrates she can feel something prickling at the edge of her senses] If you give me a minute, I think I can figure it out though...

If I'm in my own shape, I should be able to help protect you in battle.

[It's a mild, matter-of-fact comment -- she's his goddess now; and although ayakashi are troublesome to face in his normal form, he's handled them before. It's just a matter of clever use of borderlines, and then, of course, retreating. Fast.]

Of course, that depends on my power.

[He feels oddly unsettled, as though she's affecting his chi somehow. All of his abilities so far -- at least, all of the ones he'd discovered, which is exactly one, to be fair -- have been under his own control.

This... might not be.

How strange. He waits.]

Yes, well... [There's a tone of reluctant agreement, but at least she doesn't deny him that outright. While a shinki's Rending ability is needed to actually destroy an ayakashi, the powers and weapons most people had here could at least knock 'em down a little.

Still, hopefully it won't have to come to that, and she suspects it won't. She concentrates instead on the power she can feel simmering just below the surface of her consciousness. It's strange, because she knows it's not her own, exactly, and she's never tried to draw on someone else's before, but she's careful with it. But what does she do with it? It's not so much instinct as trial-and-error, but she throws her hand out (is the gesture necessary? Probably not but cut her a break) and releases the power she feels.

Perhaps a little too much though; the shadows that leap at her call is cool, but them flipping and slamming the chair into the wall by accident is less so. Yuri jumps back with a strangled yelp of alarm, but she can't help but be impressed.] Oh. [So THAT'S what he can do.]

Oh.

[His thought echoes her words, equally startled, but with a thread of amusement running through it as he considers the mark that the chair had made on the wall. It had been thrown quite hard, hadn't it?

She could do a lot of damage with power like that.]

I think you're still going to need to do a little training.

[Yuri huffs, embarrassed but amused, and he's not wrong...] I don't know. I think throwing chairs would catch anyone off guard, it might be all I need.

Revert, Hakkai. [WHatevergo back to your real body and let her live.] Still, that's pretty impressive. I wonder what decides what a shinki will turn into for a specific god or what their ability will be. [She trails off, eyeing the mark on the wall thoughtfully]

It's a good-- [The transformation catches him midsentence, and he finds himself standing next to his abandoned chair and coffee cup. He looks down, smiles lopsidedly, and picks up the cup, downing another gulp before it has the chance to get any colder.]

... It's a good first step in a fight, at least. After that you may have to start hitting your enemy.

I'm not sure what determines it. It can't just be me, or I'd have been things that are... more alike. Perhaps it's based on the connection between us.

[He lifts a hand to his blind eye, fingers brushing skin that feels the same as always, but that, he knows, is now streaked with red as well as with the dark green vines of his youkai marking.]

Which character is it, by the way? I couldn't get a good look.

If that's true, I wonder what it says about us that the power is something with shadows. [She trails off, but she's more amused than anything. It probably means nothing--but maybe it also means everything. The enigma of shinki/god bonds will forever mock her.

Yuri glances up at the question, and then looks a bit embarrassed.] Oh. Sorry, I-- ...I don't really like mirrors, so... [So she's removed them or covered the ones she couldn't, for the most part. But it's a little embarrassing, being that unnerved by mirrors, and Yuri runs a hand through her hair self-consciously. As for the question itself:]

It's geki. It sort of means-- Well... [She smiles a bit, but it's humorless and a bit apologetic.] Violence. Or to incite. If you're talking about when your blood boils when you get angry, it's the kanji used there too. I wonder why Heaven would stick you with that name.

[But it's said in a tone that suggests she knows exactly why, mr. "if the heavens brand me a traitor let me go"]

[Hakkai looks startled, for an instant, before he relaxes into a sharp smile.]

Oh, really? Maybe I should take it as a warning!

[Things she may notice he didn't say: "I will take it as a warning."

He's not sure if he cares all that much. What a harsh name, but accurate, he supposes, to the way he feels now.]

Do you mind if I keep a mirror in my room? [Letting the sharpness of his smile go in favor of a pleasantly rueful expression, he rubs a hand along his jaw.] I'm afraid I'll need one to shave.

[And check for blight. It's part of his morning routine by now.]

[Yuri says nothing to that, just a soft hum of acknowledgement as she studies him. Maybe he should, but she's not particularly worried even if he doesn't] Well. Never let it be said the Heavens and gods are above being petty. [Not with something as obvious as that, both in meaning and location.

She shakes her head at the question] I don't mind. The bathrooms all have mirrors too, but you can do whatever you like to your room.

[Her gaze turns thoughtful as she tries to imagine him with a beard or a mustache and immediately she makes a face.] I'll work on getting you a mirror.

[There's a distinct buzzing noise from her cellphone, which she pulls out with a frown. She looks at the clock, then back at the phone, muttering to herself] ...This is the 4th one from Tokyo...

It's all right, I have some money of my own! I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be a problem.

[Facial hair really would not suit him. Even the slight, irregular stubble that's clinging to the corner of his jaw now doesn't suit him, but at least it's easy to miss except when the light catches it just right.]

-- The fourth prayer?

[He frowns, leaning forward and clasping his hands together on the table.]

Is that unusual?

[Tokyo is a very large city, after all....]

Hm? [Yuri glances away from her phone to him, then back again with a concerned frown] It's a little unusual. I don't usually get so many in the same place like this on an off-date. Did something happen in the human world...?

[She frowns, speaking absently as she searches recent news for something that might've triggered this.] There are a couple of times a year when things spike. Exam times and holidays especially, but it's a bit unusual when it's the same city and there's nothing to cause it. And I wouldn't have taken much notice except this is the fourth one in a row...

[Lips purse and she shifts her weight, tucking her phone away again] It might just be a coincidence, but it's making me suspicious.

[He nods, slowly, and glances down at his own pajamas with a rueful expression.]

If you give me a little time to get ready, I might be able to come with you on this one.

Have you ever found someone ... praying to you ... who's been affected by ayakashi?

[It's the only time he's seen a sudden outbreak of suicide attempts himself: when the chocolates unleashed ayakashi on hundreds of mortals, all at once. They still don't know who created those chocolates, or why. If the technique has been refined, could something like that be happening again?

Four, though, is far too few to rest any conclusions on.]

You just got here, you don't have to go to one of these prayers right away. You should really settle first.

[She then frowns, not suspicious exactly so much as surprised.] The last couple have, yes. It's... weird. They weren't the usual kinds of people that prayed to me either, but I didn't think much of it at the time. It was like the depression and urge to commit suicide came out of nowhere, but I could talk the one down after the ayakashi was destroyed.

Ayakashi can do that, yes. I don't think you were here for White Day?

[He shrugs, slightly, and glances away.]

There was a problem with "surplus" chocolates that had been infested by ayakashi. Mortals that ate them were badly affected.

[She shakes her head-- nope, she arrived a little while after, but she frowns at the explanation. Infected chocolates?? That could happen?]

How did everyone stop it? Just destroy the chocolate? Is it possible they've made more? [Again it's too early to jump to conclusions, but she'd lie to be prepared going in here]

We got rid of the chocolate that we could, destroyed the ayakashi that had already escaped, and -- well. We weren't able to save them all.

[His gaze flicks back to her face, and he's silent for a few seconds before he scoots his chair back, legs scraping audibly against the floor, and gets up to take his cup to the sink and rinse it out.]

It's possible that they've made more. We were never able to find out who was responsible for the first set.

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