All must work for their bread, men and boys. [CLOSED]

[alastinglight]

Characters: Katsura and Takasugi
Location: Somewhere in Lithuania, the location of their latest mission
Rating: PG or higher, for violence
Time: The entire day of November 29
Description: Mission times.

Comments

[novelvision]

For a while, Katsura just stood there, at loss for words. The only other time he had seen damage this horrible was when he had joined the Michigan mission; to be seeing such carnage and destruction now was not only saddening, it was also bringing back memories he didn't want to think of.

However, a chance side glance brought him back to the present; there was one beside him who no doubt remembered everything more vividly than him and had had less time to try and forget. "Takasugi," he called out softly, wondering if the boy would respond. "Are you alright?"

[alastinglight]

"Ah."

He had forgotten that Katsura was there: that much should have been obvious in how he stilled at the sound of the man's voice.

"Yeah." Too soft, too weak. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He couldn't stop staring at the ruins of the school. As it was, he already wanted to look away. Maybe it'd make him stop remembering.

[novelvision]

"Let's go and find the kishin eggs that did this, Takasugi," Katsura said in return, looking away from the ruins to give the boy some face. "...we should start by asking questions. Just how long has this been happening?" He continued, realizing that his voice had wavered just the slightest bit.

[alastinglight]

"That's a good idea."

Having something to do, at least, drew him away from just hovering there, seeing things he wasn't supposed to see. Takasugi forced a smile at his companion, after he managed to turn his back on the school.

"The mission board didn't mention anything about that. Where should we start?"

New thread, new thread!

[novelvision]

"The people in the village should have some bandages and burn salve," Katsura replied, distracted by the pain that he was feeling acutely now that the threat was over. While he was glad that he could feel the pain enough to know that no nerves had been damaged, he was still not happy about the injury as it reminded him once again that he was actually rather out-classed in this world with no special abilities to call his own.

"Let's go," Katsura said a moment later, already turning towards the village.

♥!

[alastinglight]

Takasugi made an acquiescent sound; his eyes were fixed, rather worriedly, on Katsura. Still, he followed without protest, and took charge of securing what they needed the moment they reached their destination.

Odd, perhaps, how any trace of that cold wave of anger he had radiated only moments earlier was completely gone.

[novelvision]

Katsura didn't think that there was anything odd about it; the kishin that they had been fighting earlier had been a monster after all, one that had willingly stolen a human's life and had continued to so even after becoming a monster.

'Odd' wasn't the word he would use. Rather...he would say that it was saddening, knowing what Takasugi had become in the future.

Takasugi would find him still looking at his hands whenever he returned with the supplies, still trying to withstand the pain.

[alastinglight]

"Let's sit over there," Takasugi quietly declared, with a significant look in the area he had indicated. "I'll take care of it."

He hoped, of course, that they could continue their conversation from earlier, but well.