rattle...what’s that rattle?

[felinemystique]

Characters: Bastet/Yoruichi felinemystique, and OPEN to witnesses/arrivals after the fact
Date/Time: late morning, Monday, August 15, directly after/during this entry.
Location: A remote area of the Park
Rating: PG-13 or so
Summary: Yoruichi has unwisely taunted the Tree and its creator, and so pays the price.
Notes: While I know some people will arrive during

Comments

[starstruckstray]

Kiba had just finished a double shift at work, and was just a few hours into some much needed sleep. The swell of reiatsu from Yoruichi tugged at his sleepy senses, and he opened his eyes, looking around blearily for whatever had woken him.

But then it swelled, sharpened, grew jagged and seething, and he sat up in alarm. If anybody could take care of themselves it was her, but--

All traces of drowsiness left him, however, when he felt Toushi's reiatsu spike as well. He grabbed a pair of jeans off the floor, snatched his sword, and took off, not even bothering with a shirt. The elevator was ignored, instead he ran down the trunk itself; he may not be as fast as some, but it was better than chancing getting stuck on the fourth floor.

He just reached the Access Point when he felt the familiar pressure that signified Toushi's bankai. Further out, Yoruichi's reiatsu was wild and blazing, more out of control than he'd ever felt from her. Whatever was happening had to be bad.

Just as he finished the thought, Toushi's reiatsu dropped sharply, and Kiba cursed, flash-stepping as quickly as he could to his friend's position. When he arrived, there was an enormous sandy-colored spider--thankfully dead--next to a hole in the ground. He reached the edge and peered down...

"Ah, fuck. Fuck." Kiba jumped down into the pit, ignoring the scratches from the sharpened roots at the bottom. Toushi was in bad shape, impaled through the hand, the leg and the chest. It was horrifying, if Kiba was honest, but he didn't have time to be squeamish when his friend was hurt this badly. "The fuck you get yourself into, dumbass?" The soft, worried tone was at odds with the harsh words.

Kiba's first instinct was to get Toushi out of there, but he knew pulling out all those branches and roots could kill him if there was no way to stop the bleeding. He'd have to find a healer, but it went against everything in him to just leave his friend alone---not to mention, that with this kind of damage, Toushi might not even last that long. Maybe Kiba could cut the branches underneath him, and carry him to Wellspring that way?

Worth a shot.

"Gettin' you out of here, man," he snarled, bending to inspect the spikes for the best way to free his friend. "So stay with me or I'm lettin' freak-cat piss all over your fruity books."

[pimpcoatbankai]

The feeling of Kiba's reiatsu hit him with an wave of relief, and for a moment Toushi let his eyes close as he let out a sigh of relief that hurt like a bitch and caused him to to cough, the fresh blood on his lips stark against his paling skin. It felt like just moving his eyes to look at Kiba as he landed in the pit beside him was enough to make his head split open with pain.

"Sh-" He could hear his breath hissing from his chest as he tried to speak and collapsed into another coughing fit that spewed more blood.

There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn't find the strength or the breath to speak. He felt hot, his hair was sticking to his forehead with sweat, everywhere, everywhere hurt.

His eyelids started to feel heavy, be had to tell Kiba he was sorry, he had to-

Everything was starting to look fuzzy and dim, but he couldn't die this way in a dirty pit. Kiba would never let him live it down, and his books-

"-orry."

[wayofflowers]

Bellflower had been at work, dealing with the minor injuries caused by the Tree's current state, when she felt the two bursts of power. She didn't have enough experience to differentiate each person's reiatsu, not from this distance - but she could tell it was reiatsu, and powerful enough to signal a fight. That was trouble. She was glad she had her sword with her - it had been intended more for her own peace of mind than anything else, but it seemed the Tree had other plans.

She finished up helping the patient she was on as soon as possible, and took off out of the clinic at a sprint, with only a quick call to the rather surprised receptionist to prepare for more injured as she headed out. She was barely onto the bridge when she felt the spikes all but vanish - first one, then the other. Too abrupt to be a good sign, though at least they were still there. She could still help. But she'd have to choose. After a few seconds deliberation, she went for the closer of the two. Basic triage - she had a better chance of being able to save someone, there.

There were another few of those disorienting leaps she'd first experienced during the hurricane as she pushed herself as fast as she could go - they seemed less like lapses in consciousness, now, though she didn't have too much time to think about that right now. She was homing in the weak pulse of power now - and saw Kiba and Toushi, the latter red with blood. She very nearly skidded to a halt by them.

"Kiba-san! Toushi-san!"

[starstruckstray]

Kiba barely noticed her until she was on top of them. He whipped around, a hand on the hilt of his sword as he placed himself between his friend and whoever was coming. But his fierce expression vanished as soon as he registered the arrival.

"Belllower-san!" he called from the bottom of the pit. "Toushi's--I don't know what happened, but--I was gonna try to get him out--" he cut off, his thoughts jumbling and falling over each other, and he cursed himself for sounding like such an idiot when his friend was lying there impaled by spikes.

He drew in a deep breath, then tried again. "Please help him. I'll do whatever you need me to."

Fuck, just tell me what to do.

[wayofflowers]

Bellflower peered a little closer from the edge of the pit. The damage - that was bad, that she could see some of of the spikes protruding out of his chest. Organ damage, blood loss - she wasn't certain she had the skill to manage that, and she could feel fear start to pool in the pit of her stomach.

Still, she tried to keep her expression calm. "We'll... have to pull him off. I don't know what would happen if I tried to heal him around the spikes - but I imagine the results wouldn't be good." She dipped her arms down into the pit. "If you hand his shoulders to me, we should be able to lift him without shaking him too much on the way up." Her mind was racing, trying to mentally triage what she could see, to figure out her best chance of saving him.

[starstruckstray]

Kiba blanched, then his face firmed and he nodded. The idea of pulling one of his best friends off all those spikes made him uneasy, but he knew there was no time to waste.

He gingerly worked his arms between the spikes so they were beneath Toushi's shoulders and thighs. "Hey, man," he said, "I gotta lift you off quick so she can heal you." He couldn't ask him if he was ready--how could anyone be ready for something like that? It'd just take up time they couldn't spare; better to be quick than give him time to dread it.

Steeling himself, he gritted his teeth and lifted, trying to be as quick as possible without doing any further damage.

[pimpcoatbankai]

Toushi knew it was coming. He was trying very, very hard not to pass out, and he knew he had to come off the spikes, so trying to concentrate on what else was happening had been a way to keep his mind off the fact that he was impaled horribly. He tried to brace himself against the pain that was to follow, tears springing unbidden from his eyes as breath speeding up through his nose as he clenched his jaw in preparation, eyes wide and staring at Kiba's face.

Get me out of here help me please just make it stop-

He could never remember anything ever hurting like this.

"Aah!"

What little voice he had remaining left him in a hoarse scream of agony as blood poured from his newly open wounds. It hurt too much, suddenly everything started swimming before his eyes and he knew he was either going to throw up from the pain or pass out.

I can't die from this, I can't-

He went completely limp as unconsciousness swallowed him.

[wayofflowers]

That scream chilled Bellflower to the bone - she could hear the pain in it, and how deep it ran - and she hoped she wouldn't have to hear one like it again. It was a wonder he was even still conscious enough to scream. She did her best to start gathering her power up, even as she reached as far into the pit as she could to help lift him out. The sooner she could start, the better, even if trying to coordinate both wore at her concentration. Even then, though, she wasn't sure it'd be enough.

[starstruckstray]

Kiba had been bracing himself for the blood, and Toushi's scream, as hard as it was to hear. And so much blood, fuck; if Kiba had been wearing a shirt, it would have been ruined, but it wasn't like getting Toushi's blood all over his bare skin was much better.

But his heart nearly stopped when his friend went limp, and for a few horrible seconds, Kiba thought he'd killed him pulling him off the spikes.

"No!" he burst out, blanching. In his panic, he ignored Bellflower's outstretched arms and simply leapt out of the pit, mindlessly clutching Toushi as though that would make any difference.

"Oh fuck I think I killed him, I--"

Stop babbling! Allow the healer to work.

Zabimaru's admonishment brought him up short, and he swallowed, managing to seize onto the barest thread of control. Now that he looked more closely, he could see Toushi's chest rising and falling, but the movement was slight and shallow. He didn't have much time, and Kiba couldn't afford to fall apart on him.

Without another word, he knelt and placed him on the ground in front of Bellflower, his eyes wide and pleading as he looked up at her. She had to be able to help Toushi. Kiba hadn't been able to help Kazahana or Kagerou, but he couldn't just sit by while another one of his friends died.

This time, he had to be able to help.

[wayofflowers]

Bellflower pulled back a little in surprise as Kiba leaped out of the pit, the other man in his arms. Her concentration faltered, and the energy she had gathered dissipated - but as soon as Toushi was on the ground in front of her, she gathered it up again, pouring it into him with a little less control than she usually held. It wasn't working - with most wounds, she could see the damage begin to repair itself, healing up as she used her power. Here... there was too much damage. The blood flow slowed, a little, but did not stop.

The fear started to well up. She couldn't do this. She wasn't strong enough, she would not be able to save him. And then a voice spoke into her head - young-old, half song, and achingly familiar. Use my power. She reached - and connected with a well of power like an ocean calm. Her sword seemed to dissolve, almost, spiraling out of it's sheathe in a pale green cloud of smoke that whirled around her, and then grew and solidified, until a huge one-eyed creature was staring down at the three of them from one side.

[starstruckstray]

Kiba knelt across Toushi's body as Bellflower worked, taut and silent, almost willing Toushi's flesh to knit back together. But it was slow going--and healing wasn't his area by any means, but it seemed entirely too much so.

So he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists where they rested on his thighs, concentrating so much on his friend's pale, blood-streaked face that he failed to notice the power welling up around him. So when Bellflower's zanpakutou dissipated, he only caught the last wisps of green mist before it reformed into...whatever that was.

"What...the hell?" he muttered.

[wayofflowers]

Bellflower blinked in surprise. This... she had not expected this. Not so soon. And yet, it felt so familiar. Despite the situation at hand, a small smile crept onto her face.

"Minazuki. My sword."

There was a nudge of power, and a wide pink tongue unrolled from the creature's mouth. Mistress, we should hurry. I will carry him. Bellflower nodded, and scooped up Toushi. She carefully placed him on the huge tongue, which wrapped around him and pulled him into the wide mouth.

[starstruckstray]

Kiba barely had time to get his mind around the fact that this was apparently Bellflower's shikai, when she picked Toushi up and fed him to the floppy...green...monster...thing.

If it had been almost anyone else, he'd have attacked them both, but Bellflower had always sparked a sense of respect and deference in him that he rarely bothered to question.

Still, she'd just fed his friend to her sword. "Bellflower-san," he gritted out, looking alarmed, "why...is your sword eating Toushi?"

[wayofflowers]

Bellflower blinked, momentarily caught off guard. She hadn't been thinking enough to realize that not everyone shared her memories of the huge beast, and she realized that to an outsider, this must have seemed quite strange.

"Ah - Minazuki heals, too. It will keep Toushi safe until we reach Wellspring, and heal him somewhat."

She carefully started to climb one of the giant, drooping wings, and motioned for Kiba to follow her.

[starstruckstray]

Seriously, if she'd been most other people...

"Ahh..." Healers have healing swords? He guessed? "Okay."

After a pause and an apprehensive look at Minazuki's stomach, Kiba clambered up after Bellflower, awkwardly settling on the creature's back. Kiba figured he could deal with any amount of weirdness if it helped Toushi.

...but man, if this thing shit Toushi out, Kiba would never let him hear the end of it.

[wayofflowers]

Wellspring. They should be waiting for us. The huge creature underneath them sent back a wordless pulse of understanding and agreement, and then, almost silently, took off. It was a much shorter path through the air than the one she had run, and between that and the tension of the whole situation, she couldn't enjoy the flight as she had in her dreams.

Minazuki landed in the clearing in front of the clinic - scaring one medic on break just outside the entrance - and uncurled it's huge tongue again, Toushi still resting on it - and looking more intact than he had before.