thenearshore | A decent guy(?) [Closed]

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A decent guy(?) [Closed]

Who: Shun and Yukine
What: Prayer #53 "A prayer to inspire dreams: I used to dream of being up in the clouds, high above everything... not anymore, since my accident."
When: August 17th
Where: Near Shore
Warning: None yet.

[There's a handful of people among the new gods and shinki that Yukine could recognize from any distance or angle. Mostly because of the hair. And you had to admit, Kurosaki-sama's was pretty... unique. High on the unique scale. Yep.

Spotting the god from behind as he crouches over something, Yukine starts walking towards him.]

Hey, Kurosaki-sama. Did you find a stray cat or something-- [He cuts off as he notices the small ayakashi flying high above them. With a sharp tch he quickly closes the distance between himself and Kurosaki, fingers at the ready to send a line at it, but gives a start at seeing another Far Shore person- a shinki?- standing near him. And he then realizes that it was actually a child that Kurosaki had been crouching by.

Looking between the pretty but disheveled-looking shinki, the kid who'd obviously been crying and his face is still damp, and stoic Kurosaki-sama, Yukine can only come up with one question-]

...What's goin' on?

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[It hadn't taken Shun long to decide to answer this particular prayer. A kid looking for help after having his dreams tainted by an accident rings a little too familiar to him. With Reisi's powers too much to use for menial ayakashi and Fubuki's having some potential range issues, Shun had figured Kotori was the best option to take with him...though, admittedly, he had been a little stuck on how to get the ayakashi out of the air once he spotted it.

Nonetheless, the kid's plight takes higher priority for the moment, and he holds the boy's shoulder with a comforting, gentle grip.]

It'll be okay. None of you will have to give up what's important. We'll make sure of it. [His tone is still very serious, but there's something soft about it too.

It's at about that point he hears Yukine's call, and he turns his head, Kotori looking back at Yukine as well with a doubtful frown and some tension in her face. It's what Shun addresses first, before getting to Yukine.]

He's a shinki. [Kotori relaxes a bit at that, and Shun looks from Yukine up to the ayakashi.]

A prayer. This kid and one of his parents were in an accident. I think that thing caused it. [One of the kid's arms is in a cast, and there's a healing, but nasty cut on his face. It's pretty obvious something bad happened recently, even without the mention of an accident.]

[Yukine looks up at the ayakashi then back down at the kid, his expression softening.]

Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.

[Turning to Kurosaki-sama he nods slightly.]

I'll leave it to you then. But... [Taking another look at the lady shinki he frowns.] She looks pretty hurt, too. You guys gonna be okay?

[He's under no obligation to help another god with his prayer, but he can't turn away if they could use a hand either. And... he'll admit, he's curious to see how Kurosaki-sama fulfills his prayers.]

[The kid shrinks a little closer to Shun, though it seems like it's more out of general upset than actually being scared of Yukine. Moving his hand from the kid's shoulder to his head, Shun turns his attention away from the ayakashi and Yukine for a moment to comfort him again.]

Don't give up yet. It hurts now, but your family is still around you. You're all stronger together.

[The mention of family seems to give the boy some resolve, and he scrubs his uninjured arm over his face one more time before nodding. As for Yukine's addition, Shun glances back to him with a mildly thoughtful air to his expression.]

We'll be fine. But since you're here anyway, you can help us get that thing out of the sky. [He might as well make himself useful if he showed up to this.]

[Yukine knows, in a cognitive sort of way, that Kurosaki-sama is probably a nice guy under the surface. He's seen a couple moments that's made him think that.
But witnessing it in action is something else all together.

Staring at him as he kindly reassures the child, it takes a moment for Yukine to hear Kurosaki's oblique request for help. That, at least, is very much like him. He hears that 'make yourself useful' subtext, tyvm.]

No problem.

[And with that curt acknowledgement he sends a couple cutting borderlines at the flying ayakashi. His shots hit squarely and it wheels away. Hmh. Easy.

With that out of the way he takes a moment to look over the other shinki better. Besides her appearance, something else seems off about her...]

You probably shouldn't try too hard to make a borderline until you get healed up. Don't let this guy work you too hard, okay?

[And even as he's turning back to ask Kurosaki about the prayer some more, he senses the ayakashi returning. Frowning sharply he looks up, and sees that it has resumed its position circling above them.]

--The heck? Get lost! [And he shoots three lines at it this time. It narrowly evades the first, but gets hit by the last two and wheels away widely again.]

[Kotori half-turns to watch Yukine send up those borderlines, looking ready to slash one out herself if she needs to. But as she moves, the sleeves of her loose yukata shift, and snatches of bandaging peek out at different parts of her right arm, from the shoulder to the wrist.

Yukine's warning gets a faint smile from her, and she lets her hand drop momentarily.]

Getting swung around isn't much work, senpai. [It's kind of hard to tell how genuine that address is with the faint amusement in her tone. Not to mention she looks close to ten years older than Yukine, even if he's trying to be the voice of experience.

Shun, meanwhile, is focusing on getting the kid to perk up a bit more, but as soon as the ayakashi comes back around, he glances back. Not wanting to scare the kid, he restrains his reaction to a low hiss, dropping his hand back to the boy's shoulder and tilting his head towards a shop of unusual and interesting trinkets behind them.]

Go in there and find something nice for yourself and your parents. I'll come and help in a little while. [A brief, but reassuring smile flickers across his features, which seems to be enough for the successful distraction of the kid. With an enthusiastic nod, the boy heads over to the shop, and Shun straightens up, scanning the nearby buildings.]

We need a quick way of getting to the roof. That thing isn't staying gone just from borderlines.

A shinki's work isn't just getting swung around. [So Yukine retorts, but there's not time for further debate as, of course, Kurosaki-sama decides to take action.

Yukine watches the boy go off into the store with some concern.]

You're right. The ayakashi might be attracted to that boy in particular.

[He opens his mouth to say 'just teleport up there', but then remembers it's risky for gods to try teleporting into a place they can't see. So he more levelly suggests,]

Transform your shinki and fly after it? [Being something that can be 'swung around', he's reasonably sure he can carry it, whatever she changes into.
The earlier shift of her yukata sleeve revealed that she's worse off than he thought she was, though...]

Will you be okay to rend, though?

[Kotori just offers him a somewhat knowing smile at that, but doesn't continue the discussion, since they have more important things to worry about.

With a slight nod in agreement with Yukine's logic, Shun is just about right there with him until he says fly up there. That's about the point Shun visibly hesitates before his expression flicks into something like long-suffering exasperation.]

...If gods can fly and none of you bothered to tell anybody about that, you might want to explain before we go any further. And it's just the one ayakashi, so it should be fine.

[Kotori nods slightly in confirmation, and since Shun does at least agree that she should probably be transformed before they continue their plans, he extends a hand towards her.]

Come, Shouki! [Her form turns to light and rushes to his hand, forming into a war hammer with the head shaped like a bird head and wing, and a long crack winding from the base of that to the bottom of the handle. Kotori's remark about getting swung around may make slightly more sense now.]

Hey! Don't get upset at me!

[He glares at Kurosaki-sama as he calls his shinki to hand. He winces a little at the sight of that huge crack down the vessel. Is she really going to be okay? Well- Kurosaki-sama would know the condition of his shinki best. So he returns to the argument.]

And what's to explain? I don't know how gods work. If you can't fly, just jump really high a few times.

[Since his first use of her the other day, Shun's erring on the side of caution with Kotori. She might be in vessel form, but that doesn't mean he's going to use her for anything except the final blow.

With Yukine's borderlines and Shun's canteen full of blessed water, hopefully it's not going to be that big of an issue. He does throw Yukine a bit of a dry look at that suggestion, though.]

You still need to get up there as well. [Still, jumping high was something Shun was perfectly capable of doing even before he became a god, and in the next moment, he runs toward a nearby building with balconies running up its side, leaping up onto the first one.]

Well, gee. Guess I'll just have to, I dunno, jump really high.

[With that bland remark he follows after Kurosaki-sama. While he is not an insubstantial, ethereal spirit, his body isn't a normal human's either. He's now well able to nimbly follow the god on his chosen path to the heights where the ayakashi is circling widely, looking for it's missing target.]

From up here, shouldn't be too hard to hit its wing...

[Given Shun's shinki so far have been a circus performer of some description, followed by one person incompetent in most physical matters and another hypercompetent in them, he doesn't have the clearest idea of what the shinki baseline is. Still, he doesn't complain at Yukine's flat reply - as long as he can keep up, it's fine, so Shun keeps heading up the buildingside until they reach the top.

At Yukine's observation, Shun gives a short nod and reaches for the canteen at his belt.]

I'd rather rend it in one hit, so I'll need to get a good shot in for that. I'll have the best chance at it if we can ground it for a few moments.

No problem. I’ll knock it out of the air.

[He’ll protect the boy, show off to Kurosaki-sama and his shinki, and make Yato regret leaving him behind.

Jumping ahead of Kurosaki he pauses for only a brief instant to measure out the aykashi's path. His expression stern he draws several borderlines in the air that go streaking up at the bird.

The bird is getting wise though, and this time evades two of the lines. A third clips it across the body, which seems to just make it mad. With a sickening cry it dives down at him.]

Craaaaap-

[Yukine wildly shoots lines at it as it approaches, panicking a little.]

[The ayakashi will have to pull up at some point before hitting the roof they are on, making itself vulnerable for the needed moment to lay it low. But Yukine is not rationally thinking ahead at the moment.]

[That showing off sure went well. Shun watches the trajectory of the lines closely, and though he can see they're going to hit if the bird keeps its pace, he's familiar with aerial dodging. So he's not too surprised when the bird manages to dodge two of the three shots.

He does, however, move when it comes for Yukine. Opening the canteen at his belt, he flicks a line of blessed water from the bottle out at the ayakashi just as it starts to get near enough to the rooftop to make dodging an issue. He's hoping that'll distract it well enough for Yukine to get a decent shot in at close range.]

Stop panicking and bring it down. [His tone is calm and measured, like an order on the battlefield. This isn't Shun's first rodeo, nor is it his first time having people panic around him.]

[It's not surprising that Kurosaki-sama would take action on his own. Not that Yukine has a lot of free time for thought at the moment, but he notices the support and is simultaneously thankful for it while being irked at the god's reprimand. (Even though he's right.)

The support works as intended, the ayakashi flinching at being touched by the water enough for Yukine to whip off two sharp lines right for where the wings meet the body. At this range and with the bird off-balance there is no missing. The wings fall to the ground, followed by the rest of the ayakashi, writhing in either anger, or in whatever passes for pain for them.]

Tch- Take that.

[It's a bit weird to be so close to finishing off an ayakashi but not being able to deliver the final blow.
Backing away slightly he keeps his eyes on the downed bird, ready to draw a defending line if needed.]

[It's a neat shot, and Shun nods slightly in approval as the ayakashi's wings are severed and it lands in a flailing mess on the ground. Since he doesn't know how long it'll take for the thing to recover or start moving more coherently than an angry writhe, he steps forward almost as soon as it's down. Even if Yukine can't land the final blow, he can, and he aims for what passes as its head. In consideration of the flailing, he makes the hit where its head is going to end up in the second it takes him to swing.

While he's light enough on his feet to be prepared to move if something goes wrong, the blow comes down with full intent and power to rend. The flash of white light that bursts out at the impact starts to consume and purify the creature, and Shun steps back to watch it work.]

Looks like it's done for. [Its power seems to have been more in its evasive abilities than its actual strength.]

Looks like. [Yukine relaxes his stance, then glances back down towards the shop where the boy had gone.]

The kid will be all right now, right?

[He hadn't gotten to hear all of what the prayer had been about, since the ayakashi had distracted them. But even just getting rid of the thing that had caused an accident to hurt that boy- that was good. It won't cause another disaster.]

[Shun glances in that direction as well, a slight frown of concern on his face.] He still needs to recover, but hopefully. Without that thing hovering over him, he should just need a boost of courage to get him back on track. I know I'm not going to stand by and let him let go of that dream.

[Some people have their dreams ripped away from them by circumstance, or the actions of others. Shun's seen it all too often, and this time, when he can actually do something about it, he's not going to allow that.]

Saving his dream with a ‘burst of courage’, huh. … You actually are a pretty nice guy, aren’t you?
[For all that Kurosaki is serious, he can’t help but comment when the moment is right there, you know?]

[There's a very brief moment where Shun seems surprised at being called nice, but he just huffs and turns away in the next.]

Don't overthink it. I've just seen enough people lose their futures because of things out of their control.

[While there's nothing he can do for the ones back home right now, he can still do something for the people here caught up in the business of the afterlife.]

[Mmm~ pretty sure he's not overthinking it~

But he'll agree with the serious part just as much.]

That's too bad you had to see that. ... I've seen a lot of close calls, myself. Because of ayakashi, it could happen any time.

Thanks for working hard to save people.

[There's a very faint dismissive sound at the thanks, but it's basically the principle of the thing at this point.] I work hard because it can happen at any time. So we have to be ready when it does.

[He does, at least, wait a moment before he goes to head back down the building.] You did well.

[That had been an impressive shot to get the ayakashi's wings off. So he's returning the thanks without actually returning the thanks.

That's all he remains for, though, holding his arm out as he starts to head off.] Come on, Kotori.

[The hammer turns to light, which forms back into the shape of a person. Kotori removes her hand from Shun's and turns her head back to offer Yukine a faintly amused smile.]

See you around, senpai.

[Praise of all kinds makes Yukine very happy, and this is no exception.
Perhaps especially because it's coming from this uptight guy.

His attempts to keep his pleasure low-key are pretty transparent, and even more after his shinki calls him senpai.

He waves a little as they run off.]

Yep, see you 'round!

...

...

I'd have liked to see his heroic speech to the kid, though...

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A decent guy(?) [Closed]

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