004 [voice + action comments]

[radiantdestiny]

Is everyone... With everything, I hope--

[she cuts herself short and hesitates a minute before switching to a filter]

[filtered to Sora]

Sora, are you there?

[quieter but almost forcefully cheerful]

I picked up some food, I think... we'll be okay for a while. I'm coming back to the house now. I'll be there soon.

[/filter]

Comments

Action;

[badcolors]

[See that shadow over there? It's moving. Well, he's moving. A man with dirty-blond hair has his back propped to the wall; something glittered in his hand and disappears into the air a few seconds later with a sharp 'ping' noise. A moment later and it's on the back side of his palm.]

Action;

[radiantdestiny]

[Kairi makes her way down the street, walking faster since her last message to Sora. What had been happening for the past few weeks was worrying everyone. Even when the sun came out and her friends were making plans to go on a picnic, they seemed to be expecting something bad to happen. And then with what she heard...

She holds a small bag of whatever food she could carry from the shops with her. It's getting late and Kairi is anxious to get back to the house. But when she sees a man standing there, she stops. She clutches the bag close to her chest and tries to stop herself from letting her imagination get ahead of her.]

Hello? ... Who are--

[She shakes her head and smiles apologetically and starts to slowly walk past--]

Action;

[badcolors]

[The coin slips back into his pocket as the man turns; there's a dark cast on one half of his face, but as he steps out, more and more of it is revealed. The flaky pieces of burnt flesh, the sharp angle of bone peaking out of a tendon or two; they all become clear once he manages to close the gap between himself and the younger lady.]

[And, gun at the ready, he smiles on the one good side of his face. The other just twitches, forever stuck in a horrible snarl.]

Chance just changed whatever plans you had.

Action;

[radiantdestiny]

[Instead of following a sudden instinct to run, she takes a cautious step backwards as the man comes closer. When the light hits his face she stops moving. It looks so painful, yet she can't look away from the menacing sneer. Like some terrible monster from a nightmare. She gasps as she starts to connect the voice she heard over the communicators to this man and her heart picks up the pace with her frantic thoughts. Sora, come get me. Come get me.

After he speaks she stares at him, uncomprehending.]

W-what?

[She feels an involuntary shudder and lowers her head to watch the ground at his feet.]

Do you-- do you need help? I can call someone to help. I'll call someone.

Action;

[badcolors]

No, I don't need help. [Harvey's spinning his revolver now, twisting it over his fingers.] But you may.

[In a flash, the gun is raised and the burned flesh twitches again as Dent tries to smile.]

Action;

[radiantdestiny]

[Kairi lifts her eyes to see the gun in his hands, unfamiliar with what does, but aware that it's a weapon. Aware of the danger. Even if she had something to defend herself with, she wasn't sure she could defeat him on her own. Her eyes flit back to the twisted smile. Why would he come after her? She looks towards in the direction of her house, only a few blocks away. If she got past him, she could get help.

When he points it at her, she tightens her grip on the bag, as if it could create some kind of barrier between them. She takes a deep, trembling breath, and meets his gaze.]

Let me go. I just want to go home.

| ACTION

[sealedcurse]

[in the brief silence that follows, there comes the sound of someone scuffling to a halt just around the corner and unloading something that clatters and clinks to the ground, like a scroll or a bound, wrapped package of thick material. it is unhurried and unaware of the drama unfolding just beyond the lip of the abandoned storehouse it's come to a stop before; slowly anko pries something loose from within the package's contents and starts to walk it around the corner --

[-- and she freezes, a hiss escaping her mouth with a buried "fuck" riding under it. her eyes light on kairi's small frame, and she hisses, for a moment, just an unfortunate indescribably fatal moment, all the sane, smart, clever plans to avoid engaging this man who killed sasuke are lost in the realization that this time he's going to kill a child who did not deserve to die. her hands twitch before whipping up to form the hand seals for ryuka no jutsu as she speaks, razor sharp and rushed:]--killing defenseless kids, now? That's pretty damn cowardly, you know

Action;

[badcolors]

[Two-Face hates fire; Two-Face doesn't want to remember fire. So, when there's a ball of flying towards his face, he reacts, snarling, gun aimed towards the source.

There's a deafening roar from the edge of the revolver as hot metal and powder connect in a brilliant explosion. He feels the heat then, not from his gun, but from that fire that's coming, hurling towards him. Flames lick up the left side of his torso and he verbally screams; it sounds more like gurgling after a while as he tears part of his jacket off.]

BITCH. BITCH. BITCH.

| ACTION

[sealedcurse]

[the bullet tears through anko's chest -- and she's a little surprised at how little it hurts before her nerves light on fire, choking any screaming down to a gagging, coughing groan instead. it tears right through and she rocks back on her heels a little, before toppling over. when she coughs it comes out red. when she figures out her head still works and looks down half of her chest is red too, and she doesn't understand anything that just happened. it's getting hard to understand anything at all. when she moves her mouth the words dribble down her chin in a gurgle of blood, but no sound comes out.

[she tries to find the girl she'd meant to save but she can't seem to look her in the eyes. there hadn't even been any warning. nothing makes sense.

[nothing. nothing --

[nothing.]

... well ... that coulda gone better ...

[the words wheeze from her, choked out by a tightening throat. she's forgetting how to breathe.

[and then she's quiet. so quiet and still. a red corpse named mitarashi anko, and no life left in her; all

Action;

[radiantdestiny]

[Fire seems to come out of nowhere and she screams at the sound of a gunshot that tears through the air. But it hadn't been for her. She drops the bag she was holding onto and starts to run, no longer caring which direction she's headed in.

It's only when the flames die out that she looks behind her and notices the body of the woman on the ground. Her steps falter and she slowly turns around. The woman had been trying to help. If she left her there... was she...

Kairi covers her mouth as realization hits her. She manages to keep the sob from escaping her throat but as much as she tries to hold herself together, she's trembling. Now that the flames had died out, everything seems so dark.

And she had lost sight of him.]

Action;

[badcolors]

[The jacket hits the ground and Two-Face pats away the remaining flames. His elbow and upper arm has been badly burned by now and he snarls, gurgling out a string of swears that's almost a little too poisonous for the ears.]

Fucking bitch. Fucking BITCH. [And he's moving again; his target had fled and he's hell-bent on keeping his word. He isn't a liar - he isn't Two-Face. No, no. That wouldn't be right.

When he sees her again, there's a look of shock streamed across her face. Inside, Dent protests, screaming for Two-Face to stop. Two-Face doesn't listen.]

Action;

[radiantdestiny]

[Tears finally break free and stream down her cheeks. This isn't right. Her friends are waiting on her. She wants to get back to them. They're going home together--

Kairi hears his footsteps before she sees catches sight of him. She wipes her face with a shaking hand and stands up straight when she senses he's near. Her voice is pleading when she speaks, though she can't bring herself to look back into his eyes.]

Please--

Action;

[badcolors]

[There's a pause there. The better side of Harvey's face grimaces.] This is the only thing that's fair - this is. This is wrong.

[The burned half, the dark half, snarls, spitting through the hole left by the accident.] She's got people that promised, Harvey. And you've promised. If you can't do anything, then SHUT UP.

[With that, Two-Face reaches forward, trying to grab the younger woman by the hair.]

Action;

[radiantdestiny]

[Kairi doesn't understand what's wrong with him and she listens to his words with a growing feeling of dread. Whoever he's speaking to, it's not her. What promise? What did you promise?

She doesn't pull back fast enough, and when she does she feels a sharp jerk as he holds fast onto her hair. She struggles against him in a sudden rush of panic and tries to pull his arm off; wincing at the pain.]

Let go. You're hurting me.

Action;

[badcolors]

Look at me. [With Kairi in his grasp, Two-Face pushes the firearm up against her jawline.] Have your friends promised that'll you'll be all right here? Have they told you that you're going to be fine?

If they did they're lying. They're TWO-FACED.

Action;

[radiantdestiny]

[Shaking and terrified, she looks back up at him, barely listening to his words over the sound of her own heart beating in her ears.]

I-- We promised together. That we'd -- I promised...

[She squeezes her eyes shut as tightly as she can to keep herself from crying; still holding onto a hope that he'll stop. That he doesn't really want to do this.]

We promised to make it back home together. Please. Let me go home.