Characters: Baal, Sara, Kazuha, Kazuha's Friend

Warning: minor/canonical character death


Baal strikes him down with a simple twirl of her spear. He slumps to the ground lifelessly; what was once a proud, joyous young man is now only a body on the stone floor - a puddle of black and red cloth, the blue scarf shining brightly in contrast.

There's a skittering sound underneath the body, nails rapidly dragging against stone, and Baal thinks for a moment that he's still alive.

Just when she realizes that the sound is more like claws than nails, a small white cat scurries out from under the body. She expects the cat to run away, but instead it sits down in front of the body and stares at its head. Even to Baal, who is now accustomed to cutting down the people that she herself bestowed a Vision upon, the picture is eerie; a cat, not even fully grown, staring at its owner's dead body.

Next to Baal, Sara lowers her bow, though she still keeps the arrow nocked. While the Ashigaru avert their eyes from the body, Sara stares straight at it. It's something that Baal has always appreciated about her; while Sara may stare at the man's body with eyes full of barely-hidden pain, she never tries to hide from anything that they do for the sake of eternity. Sara takes in the sight to sear the image into her eyes forever, so that she can remember who has been sacrificed to eternity.

Sara says, "The cat. It's mourning." She keeps her eyes on the scene in front of them, so Baal glances away from Sara to do the same.

"It's to be expected. I killed him." Baal's words seem harsher in the dead silence. Especially compared to a moment ago, when the body in front of them was a man with bright eyes, shouting words that called for justice and honor.

"About the cat... should we-?" Sara stops mid-sentence, seemingly reluctant to say something.

Baal knows Sara well - well enough to know that she can be unpredictable. Baal isn't sure whether Sara intends to kill the cat or keep it.

Baal knows herself well - well enough to know that she'll let Sara do whatever she asks for.

Before Baal can ask Sara to elaborate, the sound of footsteps comes from the stairs in front of them, and a white-haired boy - or perhaps, barely a man - comes stumbling to the top of the stairs.

From the red streak in his hair, Baal identifies him as the Kaedehara who watched his clan crumble around him. It's unfortunate that he had to see his once-illustrious family fall prey to the hands of time.

As horror dawns on the Kaedehara boy's face, the Ashigaru simultaneously raise their weapons. Baal lifts a hand, and they stand down, lowering their weapons immediately. Kaedehara has not broken the law, and Baal will not raise a finger against him until he does so.

Kaedehara rushes to the body and crouches in front of it, desperately feeling for its chest as tears surface in his eyes. After a few seconds, he fumbles through the clothes, as if he might find a different sign of life elsewhere.

But Baal knows a traitor when she sees one; Kaedehara has made a good show of desperation, but sifting through clothes is not a natural reaction to seeing a friend's dead body. She sees a flit of purple sparks from the corner of her eye and glances to the side to see Sara channeling electro through the point of her arrow, though it's still pointed at the ground.

In an instant, Kaedehara rips himself away from the body and grabs the cat. He sprints away, towards the stairs. Baal is about to let him go when she sees what he's holding in his hand - an electro Vision, the same one that belonged to the corpse.

"Seize the Vision!" Baal commands, even though she's fully capable of catching up to the boy and retrieving the Vision herself. It's one of the ways she gives Sara power - the power to make decisions - even if she shouldn't.

Just as the words leave Baal's lips, an electro-coated arrow flies towards Kaedehara. It grazes his hair, barely missing his neck. Kaedehara disappears down the stairs, with a unit of Ashigaru following him close behind.

Baal recognizes the decision Sara has made. Sara is an excellent shot, and she would've hit Kaedehara's neck if she had truly intended to, especially since he was facing away, with no way to know the arrow was coming.

Sara spared him on purpose, only firing a warning shot.

Baal knows that perhaps she should go after Kaedehara herself, but something keeps her firmly in place. She desires to respect Sara's decision, and she wants to know why she made it.

Baal turns her head to look at Sara, who always stands to her left, so she can see the side of Sara's head that isn't covered by the mask. Baal asks, "How do you feel about it?"

Sara turns her whole body to give Baal her full attention. "About what? The boy?"

"Killing."

Sara's eyes stare into Baal's, and Baal can see exactly what lies behind them. Sara knows exactly why Baal asked this question, and she knows that Baal can see that she spared the boy. She knows exactly what's at stake, but at the same time knows nothing at all.

Even so, she trusts Baal all the same.

Sara's absolute faith is something that Baal holds dear. Sara believes in Baal's vision for the future, no matter what it may take to get there.

Baal knows that she must succeed in her conquest, if only to never drag Sara's good faith through the mud.

Sara's eyes crinkle sadly, but she recovers her expression as quickly as it falls. "It's for the sake of a brighter future."

"For eternity," Baal harshly reminds her.

There's a short, silent pause. "Forgive my mistake; it was a momentary lapse in judgement."

"You are forgiven," Baal says, too quickly, even though she would never forgive such a transgression from anyone else. She's always held a certain favoritism for Sara, but she's not sure if Sara truly knows it. Though, perhaps Baal's proclivity towards her is the reason she holds such loyalty in return.

Sara gives a half-bow. Not a full one - Baal never lets her. Then, Sara turns away to stare at the entrance of the staircase, although Kaedehara and the Ashigaru have long since gone.

Sara's gaze is on the future. Her eyes are always pointed at the horizon, seeing what's ahead rather than what has happened in the past. Though she struggles with upholding Baal's ideal for the nation, she is always inclined towards eternity.

Baal is the same way.

But when she's gazing at Sara, it's like the world stops and time stands still - a different kind of eternity. The future doesn't matter, the clock never strikes twelve, and all Baal can see is the here and now.


Not sure what came over me to write this, but I hoped you liked it!

I like the idea of Baal showing Sara favoritism, but never being sure whether Sara knows it or not. And Baal doesn't know whether Sara's loyalty is unconditional, or if it is simply a reciprocation of Baal's preferential treatment of her. It gives an air of mystery~ haha.