Day 4 ☀ Digging through my own muscles for a clue

[savior_n_black]

Who: Ichigo ( savior_n_black ), Shiro ( holeheart ), Rukia snowwhitesoul ) AND POSSIBLY MORE LATER?
What: Ichigo, and Shiro's powers finally force them to merge back into a single soul.
When: Day 4, early
Where: Middle of the city
Warnings: Language, violence, minor body horror?

Comments

[holeheart]

Shiro panted, unable to do much else even without calling its name. He gets down on one knee, panting hard and using Zangetsu to support himself. Shit... shouldn't'a... done that...

But then thankfulness, and a request. 11 seconds? That was the best Ichigo could manage way back when he had first beaten Shiro. I don't know... I'll give you what I can...

Energy surges around the Hollow, then zooms from his end of the chain to Ichigo's. Do what you can!

Shiro moved out of the way, scampering away from the snake, from Rinzler, from the crevasse with the snakes. His sword only serves to slash wildly at anything that gets too close; there's not much else can do while Ichigo uses the mask. But it worked. Thank fucking god it worked. The snake's bisected body hits the ground with a loud thud. Now Shiro is crawling back towards the snake, rolling it over to give him access to its underside. He stabs his blade into it, absorbing reishi from it, then digs in with his claws, looking for the heart.

He needed this right now. The snake's heart was still beating from all the energy still coursing through its body. He needs that!

[notglitching]

Rinzler was clinging on, just starting to edge sideways towards the other socket, when a flash behind caught his attention. The user was falling, dropping from above (how had he gotten up?) sword an arc of heat and darkness.

The program twists back to the side, then pushes off as the weapon burns through the air, digs into the creature below and slices cleanly through. Rinzler lands, turns, and promptly drops as the impact of the falling snake shakes the already cracked and fissured ground. He comes up in a roll, weapon lashing out to the side to lop off the flailing limbs of a half-trapped corpse-creature.

The helmet snaps back towards the others with something between shock and interest even as he flings a disk out towards the nearest surviving threat. That, he hadn't expected.

[savior_n_black]

The downed Serpent would help Shiro a lot, and Ichigo dispels the hollow mask in another flash of black, and crimson energy quickly. If he didn't absolutely need it, he wouldn't use it, but while Shiro was busy consuming a larger amount of reishi, Ichigo blurs out of sight once, then back again to slash apart one of the smaller locusts making a break for them.

Rinzler's disk is flying in long arcs, but without using Getsuga, Ichigo is limited to a flurry of up close strikes. It's ungainly, and not perfectly coordinated in the least, but between the program, and the human, they're doing a rather good job of trading off between long, and short range attacks. Even going so far as Ichigo using a burst of shunpo to jump over Rinzler's crouched form, and meet the reanimanti that were using their fallen to increase their grotesquely mutated piles of limbs.

We have to burn them!

[holeheart]

Shiro wasn't complaining at all. Rinzler being there meant that both Ichigo and his back were covered, while Shiro ate. And the snake was wonderful, even if the meat was blackish red and probably toxic to any other creature. There was the heart.... delicious. And so full of energy. It was the spiritual center of the animal, and all of the reishi poured into him. Lapping off the blood allowed him to get every last bit. Shiro had become very good at eating fast, and he didn't need to breathe often, so choking wasn't an issue. He licks his lips and grab his sword.

Then it's right back to the fray. Locusts and reanimati. Their numbers are finally decreasing, this wave almost done for. But they still needed to destroy them.

"How? I can't use Cero right now!"

[notglitching]

Rinzler's primary focus had been on the oversized bugs. His disks tended less towards sticking in the hard shells than the soft fleshy meat of the reassembled corpses. And the locusts didn't bleed like users.

The 'shouted' thoughts make him take a second look. He'd encountered these creatures before, but in these numbers... they were replenishing too fast. As far as threats go, they're not as dangerous as most-slow, stupid, less mobile than the flying opponents. But they keep coming.

The program hesitates, calculates-then runs for the nearest structure, disks merging in a hand. He pushes as much speed as he can manage (still too slow) into the motion as he steps up, grabs and flings past a low ledge, reaches for a balcony-window-roof. It's two stories, plus a low wall at the top-not enough. Doesn't matter.

His disk docks on his back as his other hand snatches his remaining baton. The ISO damaged one function, but this... should work. Rinzler launches off the edge as the jet rezzes around him in lines of blue, jerks to face the crawling creatures and their pile of twisted limbs. There's a moment's frozen stutter, a faint nudge up to avoid proximity to the user-and he clenches both hands around the triggers in a wide burst of bright fire.

The drop is far too short.

[savior_n_black]

That's the problem with this entire nightmare; the creatures were weak enough to handle but they just kept coming. And as it's been proven for a couple days now? Even the strongest fighters can't last forever.

But caught up in the flurry of strikes, and blurring movement of shunpo, Ichigo caught sight of Rinzler....scaling a building? Scaling a building, and JUMPING OFF IT--wait.
It all happens so fast Ichigo barely had a chance to blur into a messy shunpo out of the immediate line of fire, but the glowing blue machine ( aircraft? mech? ) blazed right by him. In a hail of blueish fire from above, the remaining reanimanti, and locusts avoided that energy like blades of grass could avoid rain But it was too low, even Ichigo, who had no real idea of what he was looking at could see that machine wasn't pulling out of it's headlong dive.

He started to move forward without thinking, sliding into shunpo, and racing for the blue Light Jet just as it made impact with the asphalt. The shockwave itself was enough to shove him flat; pieces of bodies, blood, concrete, and voxels showering everything in the aftermath of the explosion.

Scrambling up again, Ichigo vaulted some of the wreckage lining the crater in the street, and was skidding down the side toward what was left of the machine.

RINZLER!!!

[holeheart]

Shiro hears the strange device before he sees it. What the hell was that? A plane? The Hollow has to scramble into Sonído in order to get out of the way before the plane crashes... and explodes.

The explosion knocks the hollow flat on his back, sending him skidding across the pavement and burning parts of his skin. The skin knits up, slower than usual thanks to his lack of energy, but Shiro crawls to his feet, using his sword as a support.

"ICHIGO! Don't get near that! Stupid idiot!"

Dammit. Shiro hated being so weak! He couldn't jump in there and move Ichigo's damned fool head out of the smoldering hole. Shiro makes his way over to the edge of the crater and looks down, keeping his wary eyes on Ichigo. If nothing else, it seems like the attack had worked. No more monsters were crawling around, for now.

[notglitching]

That. Hurt.

Rinzler had the presence of mind to curl in. Brace for impact. He's fairly certain of that, or he doubts he would be intact enough to process the concept. Moving still seems difficult.

Visuals flicker back first. Given he (apparently) did draw inwards, this is less helpful than it could be. The program gets an angled view of his own weakly flickering circuitry.

Threats. Right. He needs to move. Fight. He was fighting for something. It mattered. Diagnostics are running, but Rinzler pushes them to the background, refocuses on control, movement, action. (He hates not moving.) His limbs shake slightly, jerk apart, uncoiling from the ball with effort. Nothing missing. Broken. He thinks.

The helmet lifts unsteadily, and he stares behind the mask. A... crater. Voxels. Blood. Chunks. His hands clench faintly on the ground. No threats-oh. The user's dropping in, running closer. The program tenses, tries to roll back, move away (not happening). Is this 'later'?

[savior_n_black]

No, this is Ichigo being stupidly optimistic, and trusting. But, then again, this guy did just pull a real life kamikaze run at trying to help them win that fight. Is it really so surprising Ichigo would be skidding to a halt at the bottom of the crater, and trying to pry crumbling pieces of that flying machine apart just to get to Rinzler?

Oi! Can you hear me?

Once again setting his sword aside, Ichigo had to duck down under the piece of a wing, and shove at the broken bit of machine ( which turned mostly to those weird, glowing cubes in his hands ) to clear a better path to Rinzler.

You are crazy, man. Completely mental.

But whether or not it's a good idea, Ichigo is still carefully trying to look the program over for any obvious signs of injury. They couldn't stay here, he knew. That explosion would draw attention, and soon.

Are you hurt? Do you think you can move? Come on, take my hand.

Because if you are hurt, he's carrying you out, mister. Issues, or no issues. Ichigo is odd in his ideas of allies, and enemies. He'll fight tooth and nail one minute, then protect that very same opponent the next if he feels justified.
Crouched, and cramped under the wreckage of the jet, Ichigo extends his hand to Rinzler, hoping the guy hadn't just gotten himself killed pulling that stunt.

[notglitching]

This is bad. The user's coming, and he can't move. Rinzler tries to twist, jerk away, get up, focus his remaining energy on action, but he's too slow, his own control still fragmented and weak. The user's there, and the program's processing spikes with useless panic as the unstable remnants of the jet derezz on contact. He has to move, has to be able to move-when he's not, when he's weak (trapped), he's-

...

Rinzler doesn't understand.

He stares at the offered hand, the words echoing strangely through his processing. The black helmet raises unsteadily, fixes on the user. Not... not yet, then.

Hands clench on the ground as the program slowly gathers his limbs under him, shakily tries to push up, stand. His whole body feels edged, code shaken and disrupted by the impact-not to derezz, or even specific damage-but brittle instability. He's lucky, he supposes. This kind of damage can stabilize, given time. And it seems the user will give him that.

(It doesn't make sense.)

[savior_n_black]

The user will give more than that. Pushing at the unstable pieces of machine clear ( only to have them shatter into more of those weird cubes ) Ichigo doesn't even think about it; he just grabs Rinzler's upper arm to steady him, so the program could get out of the wreckage.

Can you walk? Come on, we can't stay here.

Oh, this doesn't change the fact that Ichigo still felt he, and Rinzler have 'Unfinished Business', but he wouldn't leave anyone, not even someone like Rinzler, hurt, and alone in the middle of this nightmare world.
He knows Shiro is watching, too, so it only takes a glance of exhausted, but determined brown eyes meeting gold to say it all; He just helped us. I won't leave him behind.

[holeheart]

Shiro has been sitting on the edge of the crater, the damaged area that the crash had left. His usual smile is replaced with a very Ichigo-like scowl. Irritated, as usual, with Ichigo's goddamn selflessness... He could be such an idiot sometimes! And Shiro was obligated to help him in his endeavors of righteousness, even if he didn't really agree.

Because he cared about Ichigo. Dammit.

When Ichigo's eyes meet his, Shiro only keeps the connection long enough to get the message. Then he rolls his eyes and slides into the damaged area, claws steadying him on the uneven ground. But he'll help. He won't like it, but he will. He grabs Rinzler by the bicep and "helps" by yanking him out of the wreckage. "We can't linger. Those thing'sll find us."

[notglitching]

The user. Grabbed him.

Rinzler freezes.

There's a jarring conflict-new conflict-running through his processing, knowledge and memory catching against his shaken efforts at control. No one touches him. Except in combat, except with attempts to trap, derezz, break. And except for Clu.

(He hates Clu.)

But no, this isn't-isn't that. Rinzler still tenses with a sudden desperation, ticking rattle stuttering rough, uneven-no sound, but harsh vibration through form and contact. He wants his disks in his grip, not docked, not within reach of touch and use (change). He wants to be away, alone, not weak.

The hollow's grab almost helps-it hurts. A quick tug, and he stumbles up, out of the derezzing wreck, unstable voxels shifting with a multitude of tiny stabbing pains. But Rinzler's used to pain, knows what to do with it, and his focus sharpens, normalizes fractionally. Threats. Yes. They need to move. (He needs to be able to move). The program gives an unsteady nod, tries to pull away. He can stand. (Probably.)

[savior_n_black]

Yeah. Not buying that, Rinzler. You're flickering colors all over the place, and just stood up from what looks like a plane crash. But, he's upright, so Ichigo retrieves his sword, and nods toward the intersection.

Come on. Shiro, see if you can sense anything stronger to eat along the way. We're heading for the beach.

Looking Rinzler over one more time, Ichigo sighs, and jerks his head to the side in a gesture meant for Rinzler to follow.

I don't know what you're looking for out here, but we've got a friend who needs us. You can stick with us until you find what you're looking for.

[holeheart]

Shiro lets go once Rinzler is on his feet, giving him a once over. He can't help but wonder about that continuous fizzling between two colors; magma orange and ice blue. What did it mean, exactly? Did it mean anything? He didn't know, and he didn't... really want to ask. He was sure he wouldn't get an answer anyway.

Putting his sword back over his back, the Hollow scrabbles out of the wreckage and dusts off his white clothing.

"Got it. What's at the beach?"

[notglitching]

Rinzler visibly relaxes as the hands fall away-then tenses unsteadily as overtaxed subroutines struggle to keep him on his feet. The program tips, braces, and stays up through sheer force of will. He's pretty sure that's what it is. He certainly doesn't have his balance algorithms under control, and any hope of redistributing power is going to have to wait until his systems figure out exactly how they're holding him together.

Still. Standing. This is better. He's beginning to think about walking as the next priority when the words register.

...He doesn't know what he's looking for.

The program shakes his head uncertainly. He's not sure where he should be going. What he should be fighting (for). And he's definitely not sure he should be slowing down these two while his systems reset. They have somewhere to go. Someone to find.

(A purpose.)