And you think you do?! [How could she think this would work? What did Kaoru say to her?!]
[And even as Maya rushes over, covered in flowers and petals, to make another attempt to block Kaoru, she knows it's not going to work. He's going to kill Ema, and Ema's going along with it because she thinks it'll protect them, and channeling is the only ability she has.]
[And it dawns on her. There are still spirits around - spirits who can fight, unlike her. Spirits who can protect Ema. They could probably see this and hear her, even now. Kouha.... he'd protected them before. He'd do it again, wouldn't he?]
[Either way, she's desperate, this is her only hope. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to reach his spirit. Right before she does reach him, she'll plead:]
[Kouha had been watching this all go down from the graveyard in...well, in a little admiration actually, because damn Kaoru you're kind of a shit. Not that he blames the guy at all - he would have done exactly the same thing in his shoes, except he wouldn't have bothered talking to the person beforehand (and as far as he's concerned, that's a lot more merciful than convincing someone that they should die). And he really doesn't have any sympathy for someone who's willing to so easily give up their chance at life, not when Kouha would do anything to have a shot at saving his world.
It's a wish that's about to be granted. He has absolutely no idea that Maya is about to channel him, and suddenly having a physical body is enough of a shock that it gets him to stumble over his feet, flower petals streaming everywhere. It takes him a few moments to grasp what's going on, staring around him in confusion. Once it hits him though, his mind is already whirling with frantic plans, desperate ideas to get him back to his world.
But first things first. Kouha doesn't exactly want to kill Kaoru, but Maya had said to save her, and he does owe her a debt (especially since he has no intention of giving up this body until he figures out a way to come back himself). And well...he also doesn't know how this channeling thing works, whether Maya can unchannel him if he fails her request, and he's not willing to take the risk.
He sees his sword nearby, but it's out of reach - he's not definitely going to be able grab it in time, especially not when he's already wasted enough time readjusting to his surroundings. Instead, he'll lunge directly at Kaoru, trying to sweep him off his feet - he's not aiming to wound the other guy, just to try to get him away from Ema before it's too late. Given Kouha's build and that Maya keeps the same hair and clothes during a channeling, it...might actually be difficult to tell that this isn't really Maya, aside from slightly larger eyes and a sudden skill in hand-to-hand combat.
Oh, and the expression on her face that says she's about to murder the shit out of Kaoru. There's that too.]
[his back is turned to Kouha, but not for long - it's clear that something tips him off to the approach. he's a little surprised, that's for sure, because... yep he sure can't tell at an immediate glance that it's someone other than Maya, considering he's kind of focused on other things. all he recognizes is a more immediate roadblock, and one that he needs to dodge.
...but he had promised Ema a painless death, and the last thing he wants is more people to be drawn into the area by a shrieking, dying person.
with an almost unnatural lightness, he takes several rapid steps back so that he's past Ema instead of in front of her. the sword is unsheathed and in the same fluid motion, he slams the blade into her back. true to his word, it will be a relatively quick, relatively painless death. his precision is pinpoint (practice makes perfect) and he's aimed for the heart.]
[The flow of blood is immediate and massive. Punctured heart, which means that her chest cavity is filling with blood and her heart spasms as it tries to establish a rhythm while badly damaged.
Kaoru was right. It doesn't really hurt. It doesn't feel like much of anything. Maybe that's adrenaline and shock and... and...
Why is Maya approaching like that...?
And then, blackness.
Ema's body goes limp, all in the span of less than a minute.]
[Kouha swears when he sees the sword go through Ema and changes course immediately, heading towards her instead. He catches her when she falls, but he knows it's already too late - she's dead before he even reaches her. Cursing under his breath the whole time, he gently lowers her to the ground, waiting for the moment when he goes back to being dead because he failed, he failed again--
Nothing happens. It's with some relief that he flexes Maya's - his - fingers and stands up again. He still has a chance. Now he just has to figure out how to pull this off.]
[WELL OKAY even if Kouha may be girly enough and of the same general build to look very Maya-ish, that string of words is distinctly not Maya-ish and it has him on his guard. he's already taken several steps away from Ema's body before it falls, pausing only to flick his sword to the side to rid the blade of blood.
for now, even though his guard is raised and his sword is pointed in Kouha's direction, he doesn't seem keen on attacking just yet.]
...Maya-san shouldn't have needed to witness that.
[which could be construed as an apology or a question or a way of testing the waters.]
So maybe you shouldn't have picked the one place that doesn't have a lockable door in the entire building, asshole!
[...wait. Does Kaoru not realize it's him? Goddamn, do he and Maya look that much alike? This would be irritating, except...maybe he can use this. What would Maya do in this situation? Kouha gives his best attempt to make his eyes go wide and frightened at the sword, possibly even summon up a few tears...
[an effort was made, Kouha... shoulda added more burgers.
THAT SAID, now that he's not in the middle of stabbing someone or trying to make sure he doesn't get bowled over by a tiny medium, he does recognize the voice even if it takes him a second to place it. most of the dead people are like a giant mass in his memory now... just a big Thing that may or may not be saved, whoops. and also Ema, because she's kind of hard to forget now.]
—Kouha? [the "san" is dropped, mostly out of surprise, also out of why is this happening to me. GOOD LORD. he sighs, but his posture doesn't relax any.]
I can't exactly pick and choose when we're this pressed for time, unfortunately. [...] Did Maya-san summon you?
[Kouha doesn't seem at all intimidated by the sword, his own posture no longer aggressive as he starts walking away from Kaoru so he can pick up his own sword.]
I don't know what you're talkin' about. I'm a cheerful girl who likes burgers and dead people. Yum yum burgers. And I'm gonna stay that way until I figure out a way to save my world, ya got it?
If you try to stop me, I'll cut you down. But otherwise, I don't really give a fuck.
[he'll still keep his in hand and his stance is still very wary, but... well! he doesn't exactly have any objections to this if it's the way Kouha's going to play it. he still has two more bodies to drop before the vote deadline and Maya's wasn't ever going to be one of those, anyway. ...for the most part. hopefully Kouha will figure out how to get his acting together a little better until then GODSPEED YUMYUM BURGERS...
shifting slightly to keep Kouha in his line of sight, his sword-wielding arm briefly drops back to his side. his expression is displeased and grim, but...]
[ And suddenly, a dagger goes whizzing between them. It doesn't aim to hit either of them, only to separate and warn them of an incoming intruder. It plants itself in the wall behind them, dissolving into the air a few seconds after impact. ]
Ara, ara...what ever is going on here?
[ A certain someone is floating in the doorway. She's smiling very pleasantly, but in her eyes there is complete and unbridled murder. She glances from Ema's body, to Kaoru, to whoever it is that Maya has channeled (she can't quite tell who that might be, yet, but the stance is definitely un-Maya-like).
Her large, ornate spellcard fan is already folded out behind her in the air, and small, similar-looking daggers as well as petal-shaped bullets are floating around her rhythmically. ]
[Kouha reacts instantly, leaping backwards with his sword already in his hand. Well...too late to keep acting like Maya, so he shoots Kaoru a glare.]
Seriously, you couldn't have picked somewhere with a locked door to murder people? [Not that Kouha would have been channeled if that happened but DETAILS...]
[His gaze goes back to Yuyuko and he scowls. Great...if it'd been one of the countries or Harriet, he might have been able to talk to them, but Yuyuko was one of the more stubbornly moral types.]
He killed her, not me. If you got a bone to pick, do it with him, but I'm gettin' out of here.
I'm not going to take it to a locked room when I had never planned on hiding this in the first place. It was Skye-san's decision and I have messages to deliver for her, anyway. [because that totally makes things better... who here of the two of them is worse, that's the true question.
THAT SAID, WOW KOUHA way to throw a fellow nutcase under the bus!! he won't let himself be dragged down alone, since it's clear Kouha has no interest in working together to side-step this obstacle if it doesn't have anything to do with him.]
Or maybe Saigyouji-san should worry about the one planning on leaving here with Maya-san's body?
It was Ema-san's decision, was it? [ she turns her attention to Kaoru, but doesn't leave the door unguarded: the entire doorway flashes a pale pink, pulsating within itself. She may have not been the best with barriers, but she did learn a few tricks from being so close to someone whose entire powers were based around them. At the very least, it would zap them mildly hard if they tried to exit. ]
What did you say to her to make her think that? Don't insult my intelligence any longer. [ pointing her fan in his direction ] What a slippery one you are.
[ briefly turning to Kouha; that voice was recognizable ] Kouha-san, yes? What exactly do you plan on doing with Maya-san's body?
[He narrows his eyes at the barrier going up, his hand tensing around the hilt of the sword, but tries to keep his voice calm. They hadn't parted on the best of terms, but if he can somehow reason with her, convince her to let him stay for just a little while longer...he's desperate and he really isn't looking for a fight for once in his life.]
I'm gonna save my world. I'll give Maya's body back once I'm done, but seeing as how my entire goddamn planet is at stake here and how I died because I stopped Naho from killin' her in the first place, you'll get why I ain't about to let this chance slip through my fingers.
[likewise, his grip has shifted so it's clear he's ready to raise his sword again at a second's notice. most of his focus is now on Yuyuko, though; his expression is, as usual lately, difficult to read.]
I only told her a third option; she made the decision for herself after thinking about it. [which is objectively true...! and he'll leave it at that, since it's clear he doesn't think Yuyuko will buy it.
looking over at Kouha after that, though.]
A chance even if it's at the cost of her life? I can't help but wonder, with the flippancy you showed... If the only way to do that was to leave here with that body, I wonder if Kouha-san would.
You--what? [ she's clearly shocked when he says he died because of the Naho Incident. but just as quickly, she covers it up with a smile; now is not the time to be showing any form of emotional weakness, being caught off guard or not.
If anything, she doesn't seem to be angry with Kouha, unlike Kaoru (since it's his sword that's covered in Ema's blood, after all). Just incredibly, incredibly wary.
She can't really argue with the 'one vs. many' mindset he's got going on here, to be honest. It was her whole reasoning for not giving up so easily on leaving here, with or without Youmu. Too many people would die if the Saigyou Ayakashi was left to start killing people in all its demon tree fuckery again. So someone would have had to die for her. So, she doesn't comment on Kaoru's reply to that.
But she returns her focus to him. Questionable motives or not, Kouha wasn't the one who just murdered someone so casually. ]
[His shoulders ease a little when it looks like Yuyuko actually isn't about to try to attack him, though he's not loosening his grip on that sword.]
In his defense...with only two volunteers that people would have actually voted for, there weren't a lot of options left. Ain't sayin' it was right what he did, but at least he gave her a choice instead of just cuttin' her down. [THERE MURDERBRO HE THREW YOU A BONE]
Look, if we fight now, one or possibly all of us are gonna die. I don't know about you two, but I don't want that happening until I finish what I came here to do.
[oh thank you murderbro, he appreciates... he does look a little surprised by the support! wow, someone else can actually see that he is going about this in an extremely pragmatic way, even if it also happens to be ruthless and selfish.]
I do think it has a chance of working... the third option. Anyway, it wasn't my aim to cut down anyone who didn't offer. ["offer"... close enough... but he won't answer Yuyuko's statement directly either, since he thinks Kouha pretty much covered it.
that said, he's actually curious about something here.] What do you think you can do, anyway? Even if that body survives - even if you tag along with it, you won't be going back to your own world.
[ and just like that, she bristles up again. Good going Kouha you almost had her convinced, she might have let you leave the room no fuss no bother... ]
Cut down...funny, that sounds like her. [ a certain someone in the graveyard who may be wandering nearby. She shakes her head. MMMMM WHATCHA SAAAAAAAAAY THAT YOU ONLY MEANT WELL, WELL OF COURSE YOU DIIIIID ] And your solution is to stab an innocent girl in the heart, because you offered her a way to so selflessly sacrifice herself for the greater good. Is my assumption correct?
[ she stays silent after that, though. since...she's kind of interested in Kouha's answer, too ]
Says who? 'Long as I'm actually around, I got a chance of talkin' that shitty djinn cat around. It's better than nothing. And -- [Kouha's breath is starting to get harsh here] -- I have to do this. That fuckin' thing in my world - I can't let it just run free. It'll kill everything. I don't care if it means I gotta die or go around with tits for the rest of my life or who gets in my way, I have to stop it. [And if simply taking over Maya's body won't work, there's always his plan of killing as many people as it takes for the cat to have enough power to change his fate instead. Which is actually his first resort, not his last, seeing as how he also doubts that just being channeled will be enough, but he's not stupid enough to admit it in front of Yuyuko.]
[And Yuyuko's comment also makes him bristle. WE WERE DOING SO WELL GUYS.] Innocent people are gonna die no matter what. You think she was more innocent than Klavier or Ritsu? She got a better death than what the cat probably would have given the innocent people you planned on voting for. Someone who didn't even volunteer can't judge. [Because he's perfectly fine with Kaoru's pragmatism, and he's perfectly fine with people not volunteering because they want to survive, and he's even perfectly fine with the volunteers getting angry that someone who didn't offer was killed. But he's not fine with people who didn't risk their lives then taking the high and mighty route against the ones who were just trying to survive.]
he can actually understand the NO MATTER WHAT GETS IN MY WAAAY mentality that Kouha's displaying here extremely well, and his gaze drifts away from Yuyuko for a second. he understands, murderbro... he won't say anything regarding his suspicions (just yet, anyway), leaving everything Kouha's said unaddressed entirely. AND HE'S RIGHT ON THE SAME PAGE re: morals too of course, what a tweest (not a tweest at all).]
No. [very curtly, in response to Yuyuko.] I mentioned the idea and she was the one to ask if I could kill her painlessly. I even offered twice to leave the option behind; as I said, I had no intention of forcing a person into such a grim situation, unlike anyone who'd vote would do. [a very pointed stare...
because even though he does know he's being a manipulative shit, he also thinks it's 100% ridiculous for anyone to believe the vote is any less murdery just because it's indirect. the fact that the people killed through the vote would likely be unwilling is the exact reason he's trying for this 'target self-sacrificing people' angle in the first place - because there is a difference to him.]
As Kouha-san said, innocent people will die. Everyone here has something precious that they're fighting to return to and in the end, a vote would condemn those who have the least support, not those who have the least to lose. This way, the only ones who risk true death are the ones who are willing.
[ that doesn't seem to placate her; in fact her tone just gets more and more seething as she speaks. The bullets spinning around her fade away for now, and she removes her hat from her head, messing with the seams securing the hitaikakushi to it. ]
Heh. Don't think you're so high and mighty for your pragmatism. But I suppose I shouldn't be, either. I wasn't planning on voting at all. My place is to judge souls after they've died, not to make judgement on who does die...though it barely matters, here.
[ Once she has the cloth mostly dislodged, she strides over to Ema's body. ]
Ema-san was kind enough to "volunteer" [ said with the heaviest airquotes imaginable ] to die, yes? That itself means she shouldn't have. As much as I wouldn't like to throw oh, say, Harriet-san under the bus...she would have been a better candidate, as abrasive and selfish as she appears to be. No personal offense, of course! [ it's...hard to tell what exactly she means by that, as if she's contradicting herself on purpose. pointing her fan in Kaoru's direction ]
Why not? Don't wanna be reminded? He's gonna fucking die because nobody else stepped up! Ritsu Sohma is braver than any fucking person in this fucking building! What the fuck does that say about you?
[And Kouha's eyes are just getting wilder and wilder as he loses his grip on his temper.] I ain't the one being high and mighty here - I'm perfectly okay admittin' that I'm a shitty person who'd do some damn shitty things to protect who I care about! But hey, if we're gonna judge, d'you know who would have been a better candidate than a girl who just had to watch her boyfriend die? [His voices rises.] How about the thousand year old ghost who's just gonna be resurrected no matter what happens to her?
[He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.] I'm selfish and abrasive too, and I would have done exactly the same thing Kaoru did, because if people voted for me and I died, my world would have died with me. I wouldn't take that risk. I can't take it now. The same goes from the countries, and it probably goes for you. [He jerks his thumb back at Kaoru.] I don't know what his deal is or if he's just tryin' to get back to his freaky incest shit, but at least he's willin' to fight for it.
That's who should get a second chance. The people who have somethin' important to fight for and who won't give up on it, no matter what. Don't mean the ones who volunteer deserve to die, but it's their goddamn choice and you can't take it away from them just because you think you're a better judge of who gets to live.
[holy balls he doesn't even know what to say to this. he's entirely in agreement with Kouha but he's still also trying to strike at this from an angle that looks less selfish, so he's just kind of left mentally handflapping for a few seconds.
freaky incest shit though EXCUSE YOU. he has grander goals!! that he still won't talk about, but they're there, it's not just Tristan and Iseult in Japan, okay.]
—Don't spread gross misconceptions! You of all people should know what it's like to have family that important! [they had like a whole case character based around Kouha's brotherly admiration!!]
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[And even as Maya rushes over, covered in flowers and petals, to make another attempt to block Kaoru, she knows it's not going to work. He's going to kill Ema, and Ema's going along with it because she thinks it'll protect them, and channeling is the only ability she has.]
[And it dawns on her. There are still spirits around - spirits who can fight, unlike her. Spirits who can protect Ema. They could probably see this and hear her, even now. Kouha.... he'd protected them before. He'd do it again, wouldn't he?]
[Either way, she's desperate, this is her only hope. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to reach his spirit. Right before she does reach him, she'll plead:]
Save her... please! Save her!
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It's a wish that's about to be granted. He has absolutely no idea that Maya is about to channel him, and suddenly having a physical body is enough of a shock that it gets him to stumble over his feet, flower petals streaming everywhere. It takes him a few moments to grasp what's going on, staring around him in confusion. Once it hits him though, his mind is already whirling with frantic plans, desperate ideas to get him back to his world.
But first things first. Kouha doesn't exactly want to kill Kaoru, but Maya had said to save her, and he does owe her a debt (especially since he has no intention of giving up this body until he figures out a way to come back himself). And well...he also doesn't know how this channeling thing works, whether Maya can unchannel him if he fails her request, and he's not willing to take the risk.
He sees his sword nearby, but it's out of reach - he's not definitely going to be able grab it in time, especially not when he's already wasted enough time readjusting to his surroundings. Instead, he'll lunge directly at Kaoru, trying to sweep him off his feet - he's not aiming to wound the other guy, just to try to get him away from Ema before it's too late. Given Kouha's build and that Maya keeps the same hair and clothes during a channeling, it...might actually be difficult to tell that this isn't really Maya, aside from slightly larger eyes and a sudden skill in hand-to-hand combat.
Oh, and the expression on her face that says she's about to murder the shit out of Kaoru. There's that too.]
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...but he had promised Ema a painless death, and the last thing he wants is more people to be drawn into the area by a shrieking, dying person.
with an almost unnatural lightness, he takes several rapid steps back so that he's past Ema instead of in front of her. the sword is unsheathed and in the same fluid motion, he slams the blade into her back. true to his word, it will be a relatively quick, relatively painless death. his precision is pinpoint (practice makes perfect) and he's aimed for the heart.]
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Kaoru was right. It doesn't really hurt. It doesn't feel like much of anything. Maybe that's adrenaline and shock and... and...
Why is Maya approaching like that...?
And then, blackness.
Ema's body goes limp, all in the span of less than a minute.]
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Goddamn motherfuckin' piece of shit--!
[Kouha swears when he sees the sword go through Ema and changes course immediately, heading towards her instead. He catches her when she falls, but he knows it's already too late - she's dead before he even reaches her. Cursing under his breath the whole time, he gently lowers her to the ground, waiting for the moment when he goes back to being dead because he failed, he failed again--
Nothing happens. It's with some relief that he flexes Maya's - his - fingers and stands up again. He still has a chance. Now he just has to figure out how to pull this off.]
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for now, even though his guard is raised and his sword is pointed in Kouha's direction, he doesn't seem keen on attacking just yet.]
...Maya-san shouldn't have needed to witness that.
[which could be construed as an apology or a question or a way of testing the waters.]
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So maybe you shouldn't have picked the one place that doesn't have a lockable door in the entire building, asshole!
[...wait. Does Kaoru not realize it's him? Goddamn, do he and Maya look that much alike? This would be irritating, except...maybe he can use this. What would Maya do in this situation? Kouha gives his best attempt to make his eyes go wide and frightened at the sword, possibly even summon up a few tears...
...yeah no, he can't do this.]
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THAT SAID, now that he's not in the middle of stabbing someone or trying to make sure he doesn't get bowled over by a tiny medium, he does recognize the voice even if it takes him a second to place it. most of the dead people are like a giant mass in his memory now... just a big Thing that may or may not be saved, whoops. and also Ema, because she's kind of hard to forget now.]
—Kouha? [the "san" is dropped, mostly out of surprise, also out of why is this happening to me. GOOD LORD. he sighs, but his posture doesn't relax any.]
I can't exactly pick and choose when we're this pressed for time, unfortunately. [...] Did Maya-san summon you?
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[Kouha doesn't seem at all intimidated by the sword, his own posture no longer aggressive as he starts walking away from Kaoru so he can pick up his own sword.]
I don't know what you're talkin' about. I'm a cheerful girl who likes burgers and dead people. Yum yum burgers. And I'm gonna stay that way until I figure out a way to save my world, ya got it?
If you try to stop me, I'll cut you down. But otherwise, I don't really give a fuck.
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shifting slightly to keep Kouha in his line of sight, his sword-wielding arm briefly drops back to his side. his expression is displeased and grim, but...]
...As long as you stay out of my way, too.
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Ara, ara...what ever is going on here?
[ A certain someone is floating in the doorway. She's smiling very pleasantly, but in her eyes there is complete and unbridled murder. She glances from Ema's body, to Kaoru, to whoever it is that Maya has channeled (she can't quite tell who that might be, yet, but the stance is definitely un-Maya-like).
Her large, ornate spellcard fan is already folded out behind her in the air, and small, similar-looking daggers as well as petal-shaped bullets are floating around her rhythmically. ]
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[Kouha reacts instantly, leaping backwards with his sword already in his hand. Well...too late to keep acting like Maya, so he shoots Kaoru a glare.]
Seriously, you couldn't have picked somewhere with a locked door to murder people? [Not that Kouha would have been channeled if that happened but DETAILS...]
[His gaze goes back to Yuyuko and he scowls. Great...if it'd been one of the countries or Harriet, he might have been able to talk to them, but Yuyuko was one of the more stubbornly moral types.]
He killed her, not me. If you got a bone to pick, do it with him, but I'm gettin' out of here.
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I'm not going to take it to a locked room when I had never planned on hiding this in the first place. It was Skye-san's decision and I have messages to deliver for her, anyway. [because that totally makes things better... who here of the two of them is worse, that's the true question.
THAT SAID, WOW KOUHA way to throw a fellow nutcase under the bus!! he won't let himself be dragged down alone, since it's clear Kouha has no interest in working together to side-step this obstacle if it doesn't have anything to do with him.]
Or maybe Saigyouji-san should worry about the one planning on leaving here with Maya-san's body?
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What did you say to her to make her think that? Don't insult my intelligence any longer. [ pointing her fan in his direction ] What a slippery one you are.
[ briefly turning to Kouha; that voice was recognizable ] Kouha-san, yes? What exactly do you plan on doing with Maya-san's body?
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[He narrows his eyes at the barrier going up, his hand tensing around the hilt of the sword, but tries to keep his voice calm. They hadn't parted on the best of terms, but if he can somehow reason with her, convince her to let him stay for just a little while longer...he's desperate and he really isn't looking for a fight for once in his life.]
I'm gonna save my world. I'll give Maya's body back once I'm done, but seeing as how my entire goddamn planet is at stake here and how I died because I stopped Naho from killin' her in the first place, you'll get why I ain't about to let this chance slip through my fingers.
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I only told her a third option; she made the decision for herself after thinking about it. [which is objectively true...! and he'll leave it at that, since it's clear he doesn't think Yuyuko will buy it.
looking over at Kouha after that, though.]
A chance even if it's at the cost of her life? I can't help but wonder, with the flippancy you showed... If the only way to do that was to leave here with that body, I wonder if Kouha-san would.
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If anything, she doesn't seem to be angry with Kouha, unlike Kaoru (since it's his sword that's covered in Ema's blood, after all). Just incredibly, incredibly wary.
She can't really argue with the 'one vs. many' mindset he's got going on here, to be honest. It was her whole reasoning for not giving up so easily on leaving here, with or without Youmu. Too many people would die if the Saigyou Ayakashi was left to start killing people in all its demon tree fuckery again. So someone would have had to die for her. So, she doesn't comment on Kaoru's reply to that.
But she returns her focus to him. Questionable motives or not, Kouha wasn't the one who just murdered someone so casually. ]
You gave her a third option...how kind of you.
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[His shoulders ease a little when it looks like Yuyuko actually isn't about to try to attack him, though he's not loosening his grip on that sword.]
In his defense...with only two volunteers that people would have actually voted for, there weren't a lot of options left. Ain't sayin' it was right what he did, but at least he gave her a choice instead of just cuttin' her down. [THERE MURDERBRO HE THREW YOU A BONE]
Look, if we fight now, one or possibly all of us are gonna die. I don't know about you two, but I don't want that happening until I finish what I came here to do.
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I do think it has a chance of working... the third option. Anyway, it wasn't my aim to cut down anyone who didn't offer. ["offer"... close enough... but he won't answer Yuyuko's statement directly either, since he thinks Kouha pretty much covered it.
that said, he's actually curious about something here.] What do you think you can do, anyway? Even if that body survives - even if you tag along with it, you won't be going back to your own world.
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Cut down...funny, that sounds like her. [ a certain someone in the graveyard who may be wandering nearby. She shakes her head.
MMMMM WHATCHA SAAAAAAAAAY THAT YOU ONLY MEANT WELL, WELL OF COURSE YOU DIIIIID] And your solution is to stab an innocent girl in the heart, because you offered her a way to so selflessly sacrifice herself for the greater good. Is my assumption correct?[ she stays silent after that, though. since...she's kind of interested in Kouha's answer, too ]
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Says who? 'Long as I'm actually around, I got a chance of talkin' that shitty djinn cat around. It's better than nothing. And -- [Kouha's breath is starting to get harsh here] -- I have to do this. That fuckin' thing in my world - I can't let it just run free. It'll kill everything. I don't care if it means I gotta die or go around with tits for the rest of my life or who gets in my way, I have to stop it. [And if simply taking over Maya's body won't work, there's always his plan of killing as many people as it takes for the cat to have enough power to change his fate instead. Which is actually his first resort, not his last, seeing as how he also doubts that just being channeled will be enough, but he's not stupid enough to admit it in front of Yuyuko.]
[And Yuyuko's comment also makes him bristle. WE WERE DOING SO WELL GUYS.] Innocent people are gonna die no matter what. You think she was more innocent than Klavier or Ritsu? She got a better death than what the cat probably would have given the innocent people you planned on voting for. Someone who didn't even volunteer can't judge. [Because he's perfectly fine with Kaoru's pragmatism, and he's perfectly fine with people not volunteering because they want to survive, and he's even perfectly fine with the volunteers getting angry that someone who didn't offer was killed. But he's not fine with people who didn't risk their lives then taking the high and mighty route against the ones who were just trying to survive.]
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well
he can actually understand the NO MATTER WHAT GETS IN MY WAAAY mentality that Kouha's displaying here extremely well, and his gaze drifts away from Yuyuko for a second. he understands, murderbro... he won't say anything regarding his suspicions (just yet, anyway), leaving everything Kouha's said unaddressed entirely. AND HE'S RIGHT ON THE SAME PAGE re: morals too of course, what a tweest (not a tweest at all).]
No. [very curtly, in response to Yuyuko.] I mentioned the idea and she was the one to ask if I could kill her painlessly. I even offered twice to leave the option behind; as I said, I had no intention of forcing a person into such a grim situation, unlike anyone who'd vote would do. [a very pointed stare...
because even though he does know he's being a manipulative shit, he also thinks it's 100% ridiculous for anyone to believe the vote is any less murdery just because it's indirect. the fact that the people killed through the vote would likely be unwilling is the exact reason he's trying for this 'target self-sacrificing people' angle in the first place - because there is a difference to him.]
As Kouha-san said, innocent people will die. Everyone here has something precious that they're fighting to return to and in the end, a vote would condemn those who have the least support, not those who have the least to lose. This way, the only ones who risk true death are the ones who are willing.
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[ that doesn't seem to placate her; in fact her tone just gets more and more seething as she speaks. The bullets spinning around her fade away for now, and she removes her hat from her head, messing with the seams securing the hitaikakushi to it. ]
Heh. Don't think you're so high and mighty for your pragmatism. But I suppose I shouldn't be, either. I wasn't planning on voting at all. My place is to judge souls after they've died, not to make judgement on who does die...though it barely matters, here.
[ Once she has the cloth mostly dislodged, she strides over to Ema's body. ]
Ema-san was kind enough to "volunteer" [ said with the heaviest airquotes imaginable ] to die, yes? That itself means she shouldn't have. As much as I wouldn't like to throw oh, say, Harriet-san under the bus...she would have been a better candidate, as abrasive and selfish as she appears to be. No personal offense, of course! [ it's...hard to tell what exactly she means by that, as if she's contradicting herself on purpose. pointing her fan in Kaoru's direction ]
Or maybe...you?
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Why not? Don't wanna be reminded? He's gonna fucking die because nobody else stepped up! Ritsu Sohma is braver than any fucking person in this fucking building! What the fuck does that say about you?
[And Kouha's eyes are just getting wilder and wilder as he loses his grip on his temper.] I ain't the one being high and mighty here - I'm perfectly okay admittin' that I'm a shitty person who'd do some damn shitty things to protect who I care about! But hey, if we're gonna judge, d'you know who would have been a better candidate than a girl who just had to watch her boyfriend die? [His voices rises.] How about the thousand year old ghost who's just gonna be resurrected no matter what happens to her?
[He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.] I'm selfish and abrasive too, and I would have done exactly the same thing Kaoru did, because if people voted for me and I died, my world would have died with me. I wouldn't take that risk. I can't take it now. The same goes from the countries, and it probably goes for you. [He jerks his thumb back at Kaoru.] I don't know what his deal is or if he's just tryin' to get back to his freaky incest shit, but at least he's willin' to fight for it.
That's who should get a second chance. The people who have somethin' important to fight for and who won't give up on it, no matter what. Don't mean the ones who volunteer deserve to die, but it's their goddamn choice and you can't take it away from them just because you think you're a better judge of who gets to live.
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freaky incest shit though EXCUSE YOU. he has grander goals!! that he still won't talk about, but they're there, it's not just Tristan and Iseult in Japan, okay.]
—Don't spread gross misconceptions! You of all people should know what it's like to have family that important! [they had like a whole case character based around Kouha's brotherly admiration!!]
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