MORE AONO IDIOTS

[barriermaiden]

[Idiots. All of them.

Bon was tired. After a day of tending to the sick, as well as tending to family obligations, there was not much else to do but take a bath and sleep. But there was so much to worry about: the mess with Todo, where this sickness was coming from, Rin's demon heritage...

Bon frowned. Rin was a constant worry. As if there weren't enough troubles in Bon's life already, now there was one more idiot to worry about. He was lazy, he was stupid, and he happened to be the son of Bon's sworn enemy, the one Bon was going to defeat.

But somehow, Bon couldn't be mad at him. Mad at the lies, yes, but not at Rin's heritage. He couldn't help it, right? It wasn't like a child could do anything about who their parents were. Rin was at fault just as much as Bon was at fault for the Suguro family problems.

Speaking of family problems...

Bon looked left, then right. Nobody else was in the changing room. Good. Carefully, Bon lifted up the sweater and shirt, and carefully pulled them off. The bindings on her chest were still holding strong, though they were becoming uncomfortable as time passed. She was growing, she figured. Pretty soon she would no longer be small-chested enough for bandages, and she would have to use actual bras.

It wasn't that she was uncomfortable with being a girl. No, Bon was fine with that. But what she wasn't fine with was all the assumptions that went along with it. Girls did this. Girls did that. Girls didn't get their ears pierced, or dyed their hair, or acted in the way Bon always had.

Bon wasn't about to change who she was just because society told her to, but the pressure was on her. Especially since she was a scholarship student, too: Nobody expected a tomboy to be tough and smart. So, it had just been easier to hide her gender under bandages and pants. It was only three years, after all. Once she graduated and got her Meister, how she acted wouldn't matter at all. Once she was an exorcist, nobody could take that away from her. She could be who she wanted.

But for now, she could pretend to be a boy. Shima and Koneko knew, by virtue of having grown up with her. Her teachers (including Yukio) and the staff at the school knew, since her actual gender was listed on her school records. But everyone else? They had no clue.

At least, as long as nobody saw her topless, they wouldn't know. Hopefully no idiot boys would wander in to the changing room and stumble upon her in her half-dressed state.]

Comments

[barriermaiden]

[She had been focusing on the barrier, on keeping it up, and on yelling at Rin whenever the miasma got too close. Because she knows that if she's compromised, the barrier will fall. She really does need Rin to be her knight right now.

But he can't draw his sword, and he's really fighting a losing battle here-]

Wh-what? Why Kyoto tower?!

[keepsthefire]

I wanna go! I wanna see it, I wanna see everythin' awesome about Kyoto!

[A losing battle, and yet there he is, declaring something so... pointless.

Except it's not pointless to him, and that becomes obvious as he turns to look back at the looming, imposing mess that is the Impure King.]

I gotta... save everyone... so we can all go together...

[barriermaiden]

...Idiot!

[Yeah, she's been thinking that all night. But it's time to finally say it.]

There's more places to see than Kyoto Tower! So go be the hero, and I'll show you whatever you want to see.

[keepsthefire]

What's what I wanted to hear.

[Shaking hands, rattling sword case, palms sweaty, body aching...

But he had to do it. He had to pull the sword out or else this was all going to be for nothing.]

[barriermaiden]

[Whatever Rin is waiting for, he better get to it quick. The Impure King is moving in, and already the sickening mass is climbing up the rock to where Bon is, searching out the person who's got the barrier up.]

Okumura, you better hurry!

[keepsthefire]

[And Rin's hands continue to shake as he keeps tugging on the sword, heart racing and breath coming in short gasps.

Something nearly comes crashing down on Rin, but Kuro leaps in to take the hit.]

KURO!

[But the blade is still not coming out...

Even after all this... with everyone in danger... I still can't... ?!]

[barriermaiden]

[Bon tries to hold on, she really does. She tries to give Rin as much time as a he can. But ultimately, she knows she won'the last. And she doesn'the want Rin to die up here too. ]

Okumura...just go. Try to get away, I'll keep the barrier up as long as I can.

[keepsthefire]

[Rin stared at her, eyes wide, mouth open.

She was telling him to run. To get out.

Sacrificing herself so he could flee.

No! Bon! Why--...

Old man... why... why did you save me...

His hands went back to his sword, holding it in front of his face as he gritted his teeth hard, shaking hands turning in to shaking arms as he tried to force the blade out.

His flames started to appear around him as he growled and struggled against the stuck weapon.

Why... was I... saved?!

Suddenly the blade inside budged, and with a kick and a woosh of flames it came free in an arc of blue.]

[barriermaiden]

[Well it's about damn time!

Okay, that's not Bon's first thought. It's the second, maybe, but not the first.

Her first thought is "Why isn't he running?"]

Okumura-

[But she cuts herself off, as she sees those blue flames. He finally did it. He finally drew that damn sword.

The tone in Bon's voice changes drastically, as her hope grows.]

-Kick it's ass!

[keepsthefire]

Don't gotta tell me twice!

[Rin turns the blade with a click, charging forward and leaping from the rock as he launches flames and sword at the nearest rise of rot from the Impure King. Flames cut through it easily, sending it crashing down.

But that only does so much. There's a lot of rot, and the Impure King doesn't show any signs of slowing down it's growth even as it sputters and makes noises at Rin's flames doing any sort of damage.]

[barriermaiden]

[This isn't going to work. Rin is going to run out of steam before he gets to the center. He's trying to do too much at once and if he doesn't aim for the right spot-]

Don't just burn everything! Try to find the core! Burn right to the center and destroy that!

[-and that sure is some blue flames licking at the grass.]

And watch what you're burnin'! It won't do any good if you burn us to a crisp while burnin' that thing!

[keepsthefire]

I know that! I know-- shit!

[An "arm" of the Impure King attempted to slam down on them, narrowly missing Rin as he jumped out of the way, feet sliding on the slick rock.]

Where is it?! I can't see shit with all this in the way!

[barriermaiden]

It's in the center! God, how can you just-

[And then she gets an idea. Even Karura, who has this mindlink bullshit going on at the moment, thinks it's an interesting one, but he warns her that it would be a one-shot thing.]

Okumura, can you take flames inside of you and use 'em?

[keepsthefire]

[Being able to see the center would be helpful here, Bon.]

What?! I-- ... I'unno maybe?! How the fuck should I know?!

[barriermaiden]

What if I try passing the fire from the barrier into you? Then you might have more flames to use to burn the Impure King!

[keepsthefire]

If you do that--!

[You'll be exposed.]

H-hell no! I can't leave you unprotected like that!

[barriermaiden]

You say that like I'm not unprotected now.

[She's still got time for sass.

She's right, by the way. The barrier keeps the Impure King in, but it does not protect her or Rin at all.]

If you don't want that, then you better find another way! Because you've got about five seconds before I'm blasting a tunnel of fire up your ass!

[keepsthefire]

[Wow. Wow. That is the least appropriate thing right now, Bon.

But... he can't do this alone. He knows that. Would it even work... ?]

F... fine! Try it!

[barriermaiden]

[What, don't like the mental image of Bon putting things in your butt, Rin?

But on a more serious note, Bon will let the barrier fall, only to focus all of the fire towards Rin. And seeing as how it was enough fire to make a miles-wide barrier, that's going to be a lot more firepower that Rin gets.

At the expense of the barrier, of course. As soon as the dome of flames is gone, the Impure King begins to spread outside the barriers of the circle. Better act fast!]

[keepsthefire]

[That's for another universe I mean

There really is no way to prepare for that rush of power. His own was strong enough to threaten to take him over if he's not careful, and this? It's like being hit with a wrecking ball twice as strong, only adding to what he already holds inside.

It makes his chest feel painfully tight, his muscles trembling as his body struggles to contain his power. His form becomes even more demonic, and his flaming tail lashes as he growls and snarls loud enough to be heard.

Don't... let it take over... you can't afford to do that right now! Everyone is counting on you! Bon is--...!]

[barriermaiden]

[This was a bad idea. Bon realizes that instantly. Rin can't control this much power, just like how he couldn't control it on the camping trip-]

Burn! Let go of the fire and start burnin' stuff! Don't leave even a single spore behind!

[Bon is sure that she will end up burnt to a crisp, but if that's what it takes to save everyone...]

[keepsthefire]

[Burn! Burn it all! Burn everything burn everyone!

NO! I won't! I have to save everyone!

It hurt, his power, this power that had been Bon's a moment ago was actually hurting him inside. He had never had his own flames actually feel painful to him, not even the first moment they had appeared to him, but now it was like his entire body was trying to explode. Physically he felt like he should have collapsed right then and there but something was keeping him going, keeping him standing.

He took a step forward, then another, one after another, walking to running, unable to speak but growling like a wild animal the entire way. He charged forward again, launching himself in to the air higher than any human would have ever been able to jump.

I have to...

Some how, by sheer will power he forced all of that raging energy to focus, blue flames coming together in to a massive blue orb resting on the edge of his blade. He hurled it at the face of the Impure King.]

[barriermaiden]

[The fire lashes out, crashing into the very center of the Impure King. It doesn't stop there, though. It spreads, quickly engulfing Bon, and then hurrying down the mountain, to where everyone else is. There's barely time to scream, let alone get out of the way.

Hopefully Rin learned how to control what he burns, because otherwise he is going to have a very crispy Bon on his hands in just a moment.

But hey, at the very least, the Impure King is being burnt off the face of the Earth. So there's that at least?]

[keepsthefire]

[For a moment it does seem like there's going to be a very crispy everything in the wake of this, but the flames that hit the Impure King and burn it in to oblivion still feel relatively cool going against everything else.

By some miracle, Rin had found his control. The flames had threatened to burn him out, but by clinging to the fading images of his friends in his mind he had kept everyone safe.

The explosion recedes, and Rin drops to the ground several feet away from Bon, just as the sun creeps over the horizon.]

[barriermaiden]

[Somehow, she's not dead. How did that happen? How was she not burnt?

The fire was cool, Bon realizes. It didn't even hurt a little bit.

That's when she sees Rin fall to the ground, and she gets off of the rock to run over to him.]

Okumura!

[What, is that concern in her voice?]