"You're from Aogiri." The words sound detached, as though she's just a puppet and not actually the one speaking them. For a moment, Yukime nearly turns around, half expecting to see some ventriloquist standing behind her, strings trailing out from her body to his. But no, she knows there's no one there. It's just her and this blue haired ghoul whose name and identity she finally knows.
"You're from Aogiri," she repeats. And for a moment, nothing exists except that statement, that fact. Nothing else matters. No, no, no, I didn't want this. She'd thought those words before, but now they held a whole new layer of meaning, of horror and regret and sorrow.
"Yeah," Ayato replies, skidding to a stop beside her. The blank look in Yukime's eyes confuses him, cutting through his bloodlust and anger so that he halts instinctively.
She swivels her head around to look at him, her eyes peering straight into his in a terrible sort of desperate, pleading way. She takes a step back from him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." There's a tremor in her voice now, just a hint of fear.
"Well, since now you do," Ayato sighs, reaching into his cloak for his mask. "I suppose I might as well put this on."
Yukime takes another step back as he slips on his mask, a black rabbit one. In just that simple motion, he removes all traces of emotion from himself. Now he's just the black, unforgiving surface of some plastic ornament. You do this to yourselves, she thinks. You dehumanize yourselves.
"It makes you a little easier to kill, you know," Ayato continues nonchalantly from behind the mask. He feels stronger, safer with it on. "I'd been wondering if I could do it, but now, since you know, I have to. Everything, it's all your fault now. You threaten Aogiri Tree, you die. It's simple."
You threaten Aogiri Tree, you die. "I know that," Yukime chokes out. Don't cry now, Yuki. Be strong. "I know that so, so well." She feels the cold metal of the quinque case's handle against her palm, pushes down on the latch. The case springs open, the light green quinque spilling out and unfurling like a fern.
"That's better," Ayato practically purrs. "I was worried you'd be merciful and spare my life again."
"No," Yukime says, tightening her grip on the quinque. "I'll fight" – she steps forward – "if I have to." She swings the quinque at him.
"If you have to –" he questions breathlessly, jumping out of the way. She's faster than last time. But not fast enough to beat me. Ayato takes another step back, his kagune bursting open, and jumps into the cold night air.
Yukime races forward to pursue him. "Yes. I still don't want to" – she braces herself, swinging hard again – "but I'll do what I must, because" – he dances out of her reach – "because sometimes, there isn't a choice. Sometimes we have to fight to survive. Sometimes, weakness is unforgivable." She'd punctuated each sentence with the whoosh of her quinque, but finally she stands still, unable to reach him from the ground.
Ayato blinks in surprise, the movement concealed by his mask. I thought you were like Aneki, but maybe you're more like me. Maybe you do know what it means to be strong. He wheels down towards the ground, knocking her off her feet, but not really trying to injure her. Not yet, at least. "You can't just pick and choose," he denies her claims. "Either you fight or you don't. You're strong or you're weak. There's no in between." There can't be such a life. But I wish there was.
"Or maybe," Yukime replies, picking herself up and pushing through the pain, "the real strength is in coming to terms with the fact that the world isn't so black and white. There are more options out there than you think." She charges at him again.
Options, he thinks. I never had those. But he had, and he'd chosen this life.
"Strength is in taking care of your own wellbeing" – another swipe at him – "without having to sacrifice the things you value and believe."
He leaps into the air again, trying to process her words.
"Or without sacrificing anyone precious to you" – she slashes again, relentless – "because if you just run away and save yourself instead, then you're the weak one."
But I did try to save you, Aneki. I'm wearing this mask, after all.
"Maybe the real strength is in realizing that strength doesn't matter so much" – she's still trying, hopelessly, to attack him – "because fighting is the weakest way of all."
Ayato knocks her to the ground again, harder this time. "No," he says coldly. "You're wrong." Fighting is the only way. Strength is the only way. "You're the weak one after all." He fires a volley of projectiles from his kagune at her, watching as they tear through her flesh. She crumples to the ground immediately. How cruel, to give me hope, and then snatch it away from me.
"No," she protests weakly. What a fool I was to even think I had a chance. "You're just blind." Ironically, her eyes close as she says it, even as Ayato stands watching her.
You're just like Aneki after all.
And that's the problem.
Lying there on the ground, bruised and battered and covered in her own blood, she looks just like Touka. I did this to you too, Aneki. But I did it to save you.
And with her hood covering her long hair, she could practically be Touka – Ayato himself had nearly made that mistake just earlier that evening. They had the same slim build, the same way of pleading that there are better ways and better lives other than fighting even as they fought.
But you're not my sister.
Ayato turns his back on her, removes his mask, and walks away into the beckoning night.
So why I am doing this for you?
Note: Short chap. I kind of suck at writing fight scenes. I really had no idea how to punctuate the speaking during this one. Also, with school again now, updates will probably be pretty delayed. And the next two chapters will probably be pretty short too, almost filler ones, but stuff that needs to happen for the story to progress, and after that the plot will get rolling more quickly.
I guess I should reply to my reviewers about now! Sorry for not doing so earlier, I was a little unsure on how I was supposed to do that since fanfiction is pretty new to me:
1animalgirl1: Wow, thanks! Glad you thought it was suspenseful! But now that the fight scene is over, you are relax again, haha.
rrblover: Have no fear, I will definitely finish this story! I absolutely have to finish things once I start them. And about shipping Ayato and Yukime together, I really, really suck at writing romance, so that might not be huge part of the story, but I can try, haha.
visitor: Thank you!
mutsukki: Ah. We talked. Thanks so much for your feedback and support!
TheOneMagic: Um, haha, thanks I guess. xD
Again, thanks for the reviews, and to everyone else who has favorited or followed!