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[wise_maiden]

Who: fortunefail, wise_maiden, divinepooch
What: "Saving Private Yuan"
When: Late afternoon on the 11th (Saturday)
Where: Forest / that one cave that Yuan likes to hang out in :|
Summary: After hearing about Yuan's disappearance from his roommate, Raine knows just where to go to investigate. What she encounters is not exactly what she expects.
Rating: ... idk. PG? Higher?



All things considered, it was probably a foolish thing to do -- heading out into the forest alone. Not that she didn't have her staff with her, or have some experience on these paths. She knew exactly where her destination was, even if it would be a couple of hours walk to it. Yuan was nothing but a creature of habit, after all.

It wasn't the first time Raine had to track the man down, though perhaps the first in over a year. If his illness was what was prompting him to go into hiding - without a word to anyone, no less - it was also obvious that he wasn't willing to wait to see if there was any hope in curing it. For a man who had dedicated a good portion of his life to trying to change the worlds, he had certainly become quite a pessimist.

She wonders if she should have taken Astrid with her - but she needed the walk, really. She had too much on her mind these days. It was good exercise. And there was the cave. She was certain this was the one - Yuan's presence was all over it. ... As well as something else. Something stronger. It was a little unnerving, but now that she was here, there wasn't much of a choice but to continue inside.

Comments

[fortunefail]

"That's none of your damned business!"

His hand clenched into a fist, which he rammed into the wall. Normally, that would hurt like hell, but Aku's essence had encased it so thoroughly, he barely felt anything at all.

[wise_maiden]

"I'm not asking for myself."

Because Yuan was still in there. Somewhere.

[fortunefail]

The lightning crackled again, more ominously this time. She was almost at the exit, all she had to do was go through it. What was keeping her? If she wanted to die, that was her choice. He'd be happy to cater to her needs.

[wise_maiden]

It felt eerily familiar to a situation she still had occasional nightmares from. Possession was always such a messy business. Especially by demons. And the hope that Yuan could keep himself from striking out -- enough to listen. Possibilities.

... She really could be foolish.

Raine had to try one last thing. At least that, so close to the exit. Then she would go, perhaps-- regroup. Reconsider. Not a pleasant thought, if this is what he would be left as. And if Yuan were no longer in control of the demon -- ... well, that didn't leave many options.

"... Do you remember when you first found this cave?" Almost there. It was almost reassuring to have that sunlight peeking through.

[fortunefail]

What the hell kind of question was that? She was trying to trick him. She was trying to catch him off-guard and then pull another stupid stunt. He wouldn't fall for it, though. Lloyd and his companions had made Yuan look like a fool far too often. This time, he wouldn't bother wasting time on petty small talk. His first strike would be true.

He pulled the hand away from the wall again, assuming an offensive stance. He'd just have to run Raine through with one clean jab. Ironic, that's exactly how Aku managed to take Kratos down in the end.

[wise_maiden]

As soon as it's obvious that he has no intention of answering, Raine quickly steps back completely outside of the cave, attempting to block the incoming blow defensively with her staff. She does have some reflexes.

[fortunefail]

Yuan moved out of the cave with her as he made his lunge, but his razor-sharp fingers were stopped short when they came into contact with Raine's staff. Now that he was out in broad daylight, the full extent of the damage became visible.

He'd removed his gloves and his shoes, as they'd grown too small for him, only to reveal clawed appendages. His clothes covered most of his body, but the black rash was inching up above his collar, towards his chin and ears. His cloak had been discarded somewhere in the back of the cave as well, revealing that his once pink Filial wings had turned black.

Yuan wasn't going to waste too much time with showing himself off, though. After a few seconds of pushing back against Raine's staff, he jumped back and prepared for a second attack, this time aiming for her face.

[wise_maiden]

Now that they were in the light, it was easy to see that it was worse than she had imagined.

Not that she has much time to be horrified by his appearance with his second incoming attack. She's had far too much experience being defensive though, attempting to duck the blow while still blocking with the staff.

[fortunefail]

When his second blow missed, Yuan lost his patience entirely. The staff was still beind held up in front of Raine, so he instantly made a grab for it. It was an eyesore and he felt he'd have to get rid of it. He gave it a powerful yank and if, by some miracle, Raine still managed to hold on? Well, then he'd just have to snap it in half. He had enough power to crush the wood with one hand.

[wise_maiden]

Raine's not exactly Wonder Woman. Sure she has some defensive tricks and flashy spells, but strength has never exactly been her forte. The disarm succeeds, leaving a burning sensation in her palms.

... Now really would be the time to take the run option.

[fortunefail]

Yuan's initial thought was to fling the staff away, but he stopped himself just in time to grasp it firmly with both hands and bring it down on his knee. Best to break it in half for good measure than to regret it later on. There was a loud snap, then both pieces were sent flying.

The battle wasn't over just like that, though. After the insolence Raine had shown, he couldn't just let her walk away. He needed to teach her a lesson. A mean smirk appeared on his face, before he readied himself for another charge. A horizontal slash, using his new talons, seemed like an excellent idea.

[wise_maiden]

As she had already turned around to begin her run - really, there seemed to be no reasoning with him at this point - after she got over the surprise of him destroying her weapon, progress with that is halted as his talon-like fingers slash just below her left shoulder, dangerously close to a wing.

She can't help that sharp intake of breath, and the cry of pain as the attack hits, though she quickly bites down on her lip to halt that, instead struggling to concentrate. Filial magic. She had those tricks. If she could just ignore the pain, focus on the ground instead. If she could make it move just under his feet ... if she had the time to concentrate enough before his next attack.

[divinepooch.livejournal.com]

Amaterasu had been on patrol in the village when she felt more than heard the battle raging in the forest. There was an evil presence at work there, and an innocent life was on the line. Ammy was not about to have that. Not if she could help it.

Whatever she was doing would have to wait. Ammy gave an abrupt about-face and ran as fast as she could towards the commotion. Being on the other side of the village brought her to a severe disadvantage, but luckily, Ammy was very, very fast. The buildings whizzed past her, and soon, the trees joined them, until the two came into focus.

The goddess could see the dark force curling around Yuan and affecting his mind and body. She could see it controlling his actions, driving him to attempt to murder the woman before him. One glance confirmed that it was Raine, and that she was just seconds away from death.

A longer glance told her that Raine needed some time to complete a magic spell.

With an extra burst of speed, Ammy came barreling towards the scene like a bullet, and once she reached Raine's side, she leapt forward, aiming her jump - and her jaws - to Yuan's upper arm.

[fortunefail]

It was an unfortunate thing that the wolf appeared when she did- Unfortunate for Yuan, but very fortunate for Raine. He wouldn't have hesitated to land the final blow while she was down. Not now that Aku's rage had taken over. When Amaterasu neared the scene, Yuan barely had time to look up, automatically raising an arm in defense. An arm that, soon after, was host to the wolf's jaws.

Yuan staggered backwards, roaring loudly in frustration. He wasn't in much pain, but damn, was he pissed now. This wolf was just another creature that'd dared to defy him, so it'd have to share the same fate as Raine. He moved his arm in one quick swing, attempting to throw Ammy off.

[wise_maiden]

The appearance of the wolf was surprising -- while Raine had known of its existence, she had never actually seen her this close before. But there were more important things at stake right now.

One hand clutching her bleeding shoulder, she stumbles away from the pair, trying to get out of the immediate radiance of Yuan's reach, and at the same time, struggling to focus - earth magic to shift the ground beneath his feet, in the hope that it would trip him up somehow. If not, there was always plan B.

[divinepooch.livejournal.com]

Ammy couldn't be shaken off so easily. She clamped her jaws tight around his arm and dug her lower claws into his side with her front ones extended to the arm she had attacked. She took a glance at his enraged face - perhaps he shouldn't be able to see for a few seconds.

In an instant, Ammy opened the Celestial Canvas in her mind and covered Yuan's body in ink, most especially the eyes. Hopefully, she thought fleetingly to herself as she mentally pulled the Canvas away and waited for her power to take effect, it would work.

[fortunefail]

"Goddamn mutt!" Yuan was just about to grab hold of Amaterasu with his other hand when he suddenly felt the ground shudder beneath his feet. A loud rumble followed, nearly drowning out his surprised cry as he staggered further backwards in hopes of regaining his footing. It was no good. At this rate, he was going to fall.

His eyes darted back to the wolf still hanging from his arm and then he saw it. Her true form. Yuan, possessing no real celestial qualities, was never able to see beyond the white wolf before. Aku, on the other hand, had the ability to do so only too well. Now that the infection had progressed to consume most of the Seraph, it finally became clear to him that she was no ordinary wolf.

Sadly, that was about all he could see before the ink came out of nowhere. He cursed fluently and keeled over backwards, his vision impaired entirely. Amaterasu's ink ensured that Yuan's face and hair now matched the rest of his body- as black as it could be.

[wise_maiden]

Success -- a little unexpected, but at least that gave them a second to breathe. What a curious power, for a wolf.

All that Raine could do for the moment was continue to try and get out of the way - at least, move near a tree that she could watch from and maybe provide support from if it was needed. She winced in pain; she'd need to take a moment to tend to her shoulder as well. If she had a moment -- who knew how long he would remain down. If something else would be needed.

[divinepooch.livejournal.com]

Good, Yuan was down. Amaterasu leapt off of him before she could hit the ground with him, and she landed near the woman. There wasn't any time to waste. Soon, Yuan would be able to wipe the ink away and get back up, and with Raine injured...

Ammy stood in front of her with the fur at her neck raised as she crouched down and focused her godly power to the man before her. The twisted form of Aku still ruled over him, and she had to get it out of there before he could hurt anyone else.

The mirror on her back, one only seen by those who could see her true form, transformed into blue beads of the same nature that hovered around her - Exorcism Beads. With her focus centered solely on the power within Yuan, Ammy let out a snarl as she lashed out the beads towards him. They glowed with the power of their goddess, the power needed to extract that dangerous soul from Yuan.

[fortunefail]

Almost immediately after he hit the ground, the effects of Raine's magic subsided and the rumbling halted enough for Yuan to regain his balance. He instantly sat up again, desperately trying to wipe his arm- even his hands- past his eyes. Some of the ink came off, but not enough for him to regain his sight. Which was fine, he soon realized, because he was a fucking Seraph. What good were his enhanced senses if he didn't make use of them? He could hear the wolf's breathing and he could smell her.

Eyes still closed, he moved into a crouching position, listening intently. Raine was still nearby, but she would have to wait. He'd take care of her later. Then he realized the wolf was attacking. Something was whipping towards him and while he tried to move backwards, he failed to realize the beads had such a long range. They hit him square in the chest, his armor catching most of the impact.

That's when the power of the goddess kicked in. The beads were a holy artifact and Aku's greatest weakness. Any pain that the demon felt was instantly registered by Yuan, who screamed and writhed in pain.

[wise_maiden]

All thoughts of healing herself were forgotten once the wolf leaped in front of her. Raine couldn't really see what was happening, but from the way Yuan was suddenly screaming, and contorting - something was happening.

She couldn't move. Couldn't look away.

[divinepooch.livejournal.com]

Ammy's power flowed through the beads in pulses, and she narrowed her eyes and dug her claws into the ground as the demon writhed in front of her. She couldn't waste any more time with this. It was time to free Yuan from Aku's grasp.

With one last surge of holy power, one that was stronger than the others and meant to drag demons away from unsuspecting bodies, Ammy yanked the beads away with a twist of her body. That should take care of it.

[fortunefail]

For as long as the beads were in contact with Yuan's body, his world consisted of nothing but searing pain and screaming. He couldn't tell whether the sound came from himself or from Aku. It didn't matter much at that point, they were one and the same. Every inch of his body was protesting to the holy influence and burning like mad. He didn't realize he was virtually rolling over the ground, clutching at his head and shrieking like mad.

As soon as Ammy yanked the beads away, intent on dragging Aku's essence out, the pain reached its climax. After having spent a few weeks adjusting to the demon's presence and mutating in accordance, having it suddenly ripped out was pure torture for his body. Whatever was left of Yuan's coherent thoughts was engulfed by darkness as he passed out completely. At the same time, the fraction of Aku that had infected the Seraph's body was drawn into broad daylight. With no greater form to return to and no wings to sustain it, it shuddered for a few seconds before bursting into flames and disappearing from this world.

[wise_maiden]

Raine remains watching, still very much in a state of 'what-just-happened-here'. There's just no time to rationalize, to think. Something had been drawn out of Yuan - a dark, shapeless mass - but it seemed to have been destroyed. How was that even possible?

Her gaze slowly moves back to the white wolf in front of her.

[divinepooch.livejournal.com]

The wolf in question let out a long sigh and breathed deeply to catch her breath. That took a lot out of her... but it still worked. Now Ammy was sure that she could truly help the people of the village who needed it, and not just with mundane tasks.

Once she felt someone's eyes on her, she turned her head to look up at Raine. Why yes, Ammy did just do that. And Raine looks all right, except for that wound... But let's worry about that later.

Ammy took in a deep breath to quell the burning in her lungs, and then she moved forward to Yuan's side. His body might be a little delicate at this point, so it might not be a good idea to toss him up in the air and catch him on her back like she'd usually do. No, instead, she attempted to wriggle her body under his. It's a lot harder than it sounds, really.