Eld was not quite as scared as Kaze...which wasn't to say that he wasn't at all, but he hadn't seen how much trouble she had harming the thing's hand, and he was admittedly slightly grateful that he didn't have an army surrounding him. Even so, the...thing...was monolithic. While he'd practiced some tactics for fighting in different situations and fighting different opponents, it'd never occurred to him to prepare to fight something bigger than a house.

While he spotted the attack, he could not do anything about it--Kaze was in control, and while they were in mid-air he couldn't do much of anything about it. "Kaze, just drop me and--"

But his command came too late; one second they were hovering there, and then there was a sickening crack, and they were careening toward the ground. At thirty feet up, the fall could have been fatal. Acting on instinct, Eld reached within himself, and was surprised to find he could feel Qi again.

He couldn't slow the fall to harmless levels, but he did manage to prevent himself from sustaining any serious injury. He landed on his back, Kaze on top of him, in something that was somewhere between dirt and sand.

After a few desperate attempts to breathe again, he managed get enough air to talk. "K-Kaze, are you alright?" he asked desperately, trying to check on her and keep an eye on the water giant at the same time, as well as ignore the throbbing in his back and head.

The default reaction was to shake her head and not release Eld's shirt from between her teeth. Biting down was also a default reaction, one that no one would have faulted her for. But while instinct demanded that reaction, she released with her jaw, took in a deep, shaken breath, and nodded her head. She wasn't okay, but she needed to be-- so she told herself, and Eld by extension, that she was all right, or perhaps that she was going to be all right.

Akizets struggled to get up. Behind them, the horde Oboreru had collected was converging upon them. They were walking for them, but she knew they would be there soon. Neither of them could afford to stay in one place for too long. They needed to move, she needed to move-- if she couldn't move, Eld would be overwhelmed--

As much as she feared being in pain, there was part of her, amongst a string of thoughts that strayed far from the topic at hand, which realized that not once had she thought much of her own demise. When she couldn't bare to harm Eld anymore, most-- if not all --of her actions were strictly for him. If he told her to do something, she did it. She wasn't fighting for her survival . . . she was fighting for his.

Akizets rolled off of him. Her flared with pain when she hit the ground, and she bit back the urge to scream again. The tears were falling slower, now-- and yet she still felt moisture upon her cheeks.

The sky . . . the source of the darkness that was slowly descending upon the, beginning with a slight gray, a darker gray, and now a thick blackness, wasn't the fall of twilight. Night was descending upon them, but it wasn't this dark, nor did it exude moisture. It was a sprinkle, the lightest beginning of rainfall, descending from the light cloud cover that gripped the sky. It covered the moon and darkened the lake and all around it. It was light, but it would not always be so-- and then, they, Eld and Akizetsumei, would no longer be, either.

Beyond where they lay, the murky shadows were slowly creeping towards them, hundreds of them, now, far more than any of them could fight off together, healthy, let alone damaged. Looming beyond those silhouettes of Oboreru stood the greatest of them all, the featureless, faceless behemoth that possessed the very last remnant of Oboreru's existence: his heart. Under the cover of darkness, of a tree lingering above Eld and Akizetsumei, Oboreru might not have seen them well. His aim was off, but the fire was rapid. From the gargantuan form, spheres of water rained down upon the beach, some destroying shadows in their strikes, some hitting blank territories. The beach was rattled and the earth quaked subtly under each shell.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" she asked with eyes to the heavens; pain was evident in her voice, but not quite as strong as before.

It would be easy to give into despair, to accept that he was going to die. How many times had he been fighting and had been completely outmatched? How many times had death seemed imminent? More times than he cared to think about, he pulled through by blind luck, by someone stepping in and aiding him. But he knew no one would come to their aid this time.

It would be easy to give into despair, and were he alone that was exactly what he'd probably do. But he wasn't fighting alone this time; Kaze was here, and she was injured, and accepting his death would mean accepting hers as well, not to mention leaving Kageko in the hands of someone supremely unstable.

"No," he replied firmly. As gently as he could, he moved Kaze off of him, standing up with the aid of the staff. "We're not going to die. Not here."

The horde was incoming, though the wild shots from the giant were thinning them it hardly made a difference. It was still far too many to fight. But he didn't need to fight them--he had seen in the giant something, he couldn't tell what, but if anything was a weak point it was that. He had something to aim for.

"Kaze...I know it probably hurts really badly, but...I need you to move. I need you go back to the village--it's that way, if you forgot--find the large L-shaped building in it. It's the clinic, where my parents are; they're doctors, they'll treat you, and have you feeling better in no time."

"I'll take care of things here," he intoned. It may have been an impossible task--but there was no choice in the matter for him. Kaze couldn't keep fighting, and though he was injured too, it wasn't at a critical point yet.

Eld's demand was tempting, actually. Really . . . she might have done it, in any other situation. But here, under these circumstances, she knew Eld would have died were he alone. He might die with her there, too.

Akizetsumei reached up and took hold of Eld's arm. She could barely sit up on her own, let alone walk all the way back to the village. She'd likely get lost out there, anyways. She had before, after all, back when she was trying to find her brother on her own.

"N-nnhh," she groaned as her body rejected the movement, but despite that, she forced it. She sat up, pulled herself up by tugging onto Eld's arm, whether her body liked it or not. "I-- I'm sorry . . ."

She'd lift her other arm, then, to hold onto Eld's arm, and with this leverage, she'd pull herself up. It hurt like crazy. It hurt so much she couldn't even begin to summon a gust of wind. Her steel fans were upon the beach; if she could reach them, she'd have been able to use those instead, but she hadn't a clue where they might be. She had to drop them when she saved Eld from being overrun earlier-- and now, she couldn't concentrate enough to summon them back to her.

Akizets tried, but it was clear to her what the problem was. She needed to concentrate on the wind-- to blank out, essentially --to control it, and now she could not. Now, her thoughts were full.

"But y-you're the one that's got a home to go back to," she recited with a sad smile, "I can't . . . I can't let you die."

"Kaze, don't be an idiot! You can't fight like this! Get out of here!" It was a struggle just for her to stand; there was no chance that she could continue to battle, even with her powers. He might not have stood much of a chance, but if she kept fighting she didn't have any chance.

"You have a family to return too...I know you do...I've...I've already cost them too much. I took your father, I'll take your brother...I...I don't know what I'll do if you die because of me, too."

It was too painful to think about; in the end, she and Oboreru would here only because of him. If he hadn't killed Gestahl, Oboreru would have no reason to have sought revenge, Kaze would never have needed to go look for her brother, to enlist his help, to be blamed as a traitor and attacked by her own family. It had been hard enough to kill Gestahl, who'd been an honorable man...maybe, he was even a good one. It would tough to kill Oboreru, knowing that his actions drove the man to what he was now. If Kaze died, trying to protect him...that too would be his fault. It would be more than he could bear.

"Please, Kaze...go..." he pleaded. "I can take care of myself."

"No-- no!" Akizets cried, "I can! I can keep you safe . . ."

Akizets shook her head quickly. It might be suicide for her to stay here, he was right, but what of it? What did she have to go home to? Her brother and her mother. If she died here, her mother would be heartbroken-- but if she did not bring Oboreru back home, she would be just as heartbroken. If she could not bring her brother home, then she wasn't going back home. The most startling thing about this was that Akizets could recall thinking such a thing when she left the city behind. She knew then that she might not ever come home.

Oboreru couldn't come back home, now. She couldn't go back home. She couldn't return empty handed, not without Oboreru, not without the dusk remnant-- and for some reason, she didn't want to bring that home with her, either.

"Y-you asked-- right? Earlier, right? You asked if I could do something-- s-something like my brother," she began; she sounded desperate, almost pleading-- but she was pleading something that was logical, not just for Eld to let her stay with him, but a conclusion to this confrontation at last, "A-and I said-- I said I didn't know, b-but I--"

How . . . was she remembering that? Akizets couldn't begin to explain. She wasn't even going to try, she was just going to accept it for now.

With the utmost sincerity and determination, she concluded: "I can."

Until then Eld had been keeping his eyes on the approaching shadows and the giant, but at this he whipped around with such force that blood from his wounds visibly flew off of him.

"NO!" His face was suddenly full of fear, more fear that he'd ever shown to her, throughout the whole battle--even when he'd been plummeting from the clouds he had not looked this horrified.

"I didn't know what he did, what it entailed, or I wouldn't have asked! That's not something you can come back from--I can tell." Oboreru no longer had an individual spirit at this point--only the collective spirit that was in the water. He'd been so consumed by revenge that he'd given up his humanity for it.

"You can't, Kaze. You'd be killing yourself. My life...it isn't worth your sacrifice."

"And my life isn't worth yours!" Akizets shouted in reply.

It was a reactionary comment, and one she didn't think about until a second later. She'd shouted at Eld, intentionally raised her voice to him, only to look away shamefully. That wasn't the right thing to do. He was only concerned about her, even if those concerns were misguided.

"You can't . . . you can't throw your own life away-- not for someone like me," Akizets trailed off; she looked to the ground, and rather than containing this thought, she vented it, perhaps for the first time in Eld's presence: "Not for someone who was never real to begin with . . ."

And it was with those words that Akizets stepped back, away from Eld. She could barely walk on her own, but for this, she forced it. She forced herself to take a step back, and then another, and another, without falling once. The horde was still coming for them; there was some distance between them, a great distance to clear, and Akizetsumei felt she had the time. Eld was against it, but did that matter? What would he do, otherwise? How would he defeat Oboreru? He wouldn't! He'd go-- he'd go and get himself killed, and for what? For her? Akizets couldn't allow that. She wasn't the one Eld should give his life for.

The woman took a deep breath and shut her eyes.

He opened his mouth to protest; to say that he wasn't throwing his life away, that he really thought he had a chance. He might not have been an expert fighter, but he knew how to fight smart and he was certain he could at least get to the giant without being impeded by the army of shadows.

But he saw Kaze start to move away from him, and he realized that she was going to do it whether or not he agreed. It was a stupid, foolish thing to do--his life was worth no more or less than hers.

"Kaze, no!" he yelled, his legs moving without him even thinking. He sprinted toward her, willing to do anything it took to stop her--shake some sense into her, even knock her out if he needed to. Anything to stop her from sacrificing herself for him...

For Akizetsumei, time slowed to a snail's pace, and then, in the midst of Eld's run to her, it stopped entirely. Oboreru, Eld, the shadows closing in on them-- it all stopped. All there was, to her, was herself-- and the man that was running for her. Somehow, he was important. Somehow, her heart was still attached to him. Even if he'd done something so unforgivable, she truly didn't want to be apart from him-- enough, perhaps, that she was willing to give up herself for his sake.



Herself-- her existence--

What was it, really? Akizets hadn't that answer. One time, she asked that question. She could barely remember the man that answered it, but when she thought of him then, she felt a similar attachment for the man that wished for anything but her sacrifice.







Akizets opened her eyes before Eld reached her. Time returned in hasty aggression as he reached her, his arms practically thrown around her, his body practically tackling into hers, refusing to allow her to give up her existence for his. Eld wouldn't need to do anything drastic. Once he had her in his arms, she'd practically given up-- but not for lack of trying, and not by Eld's effort at all. Truth be told, she felt his effort, however heroic, wouldn't do any good, had her intended practice truly come to fruition.

But it didn't. For whatever reason, it didn't. Nothing came of it. In pain, she clung to Eld, but rather than bury her head into his chest or look to him-- or even address him at all, to acknowledge his presence with more than her hands gripping the front of his shirt--

"It won't . . . work?" she asked herself.

Her head was leaned back, her eyes up, those scarlet irises focused upon the bleeding sky. It was raining hard, now. The clouds were nearly omnipresent once again.

"Why . . .? Why won't you accept me?" she addressed the dark sky with a sense of disbelief, "Is it-- is it because I'm too . . . weak?"

"You're not too weak," Eld said softly. "You're strong--a strong person. Probably a stronger person than me." Whether she decided not to because of him, or she just couldn't do what Oboreru did, the result was the same; she was alive, and would remain that way. He'd make sure of it.

They didn't have a whole lot of time, though...Eld was forced to let go, and turn back to the oncoming army. "If anything, I think you're...too human." To Eld, it just meant that unlike Oboreru she didn't get blinded by hate and revenge. She was a human to Eld, after all. But to Kaze his words might mean more than that...

"Can you get somewhere safe?" he asked; he'd fight to protect her here if he had to, but it would be admittedly much easier to defeat Oboreru if he could move about.

Too human . . . indeed, Eld's words meant much more for Akizetsumei than he knew--perhaps more than he'd ever know.

Akizets could only smile sadly. "I wish . . ."

This could very well have applied to either of Eld's statements-- that she was perhaps too human, or if she could get somewhere safe. Akizets limped forward. She didn't want Eld to be on this battlefield alone-- but she didn't want him to die protecting her, either. Unfortunately, that was the likely scenario, she understood, if he were to fight alone.

To Akizets's right, there was an explosion. Water struck at cannon force, kicking up earth and water in its wake. It didn't quite hit her, but it forced her to stumble forward, to catch Eld by the shoulder, and stand behind his back in pain. Now, her leg was in pain, a stinging pain that ran up from an injury much lower-- her ankle. She was fine, truth be told; injury, to her, was often the cause of over-exaggeration; it felt much worse to her than it did anyone else. Akizets would cling to Eld's back as more water fell.

Oboreru had discovered their location. The bombardment began, just as the downpour . . .

"A whole lot of good I did, getting rid of the clouds," Eld muttered. Granted, it'd let them get to the point where Oboreru showed his vulnerable spot, but it was still slightly depressing to have rain pouring down on them. Not to mention the water cannonballs.

"Guess there's no choice then; climb on." If Kaze couldn't move well on her own, he'd just have to carry her; she didn't look all that heavy, so he doubted she'd slow him down much. It would certainly be easier than trying to stay in one place and fight an entire army.

As soon as she had a firm grip on him, he get in motion, heading not directly for the army but instead for the nearby trees, using a strength burst to jump to the top of one. Most branches couldn't support his weight, but if he used the same technique that let him float, he could make himself light enough to balance on one.

And that was how he planned to win; avoid the army by staying high, and but he could still jump around to avoid the cannonballs. He could also potentially blast one out of the air with Qi if he couldn't dodge in time, or so he hoped.

She was reluctant to do this. Akizets wanted to tell him no, that she'd just weigh him down and get him killed, a thought of hers that might well be right, but then again, if she were killed, unable to get someplace safe, she'd be no help to him at all. She hadn't figured out a way yet, but Akizets was determined to help Eld through this.

Without a word, she wrapped her arms around Eld's shoulders and her legs around his stomach, holding onto him from behind.

Perhaps it were possible, to last like this for some length of time. As a matter of attrition, though, Eld had only so much to work with. Unfortunately, Akizets would slow him down just enough. The quarterstaff itself had to be in the upwards of thirty pounds, while Akizetsumei was somewhere close to one-hundred-twenty pounds. A hundred fifty pounds-- it was essentially twice Eld's own weight. He'd no doubt be slowed, slowed in his ascent to the trees, slowed in his ability to dodge, block, or pull his weight anywhere with much control. Eld, before, might have worked with a bit of weight on his person, but not this, and not at a constant pace.

With the rain came another threat, however. Eld would see not a blast before him, but a silhouette in the rain, an apparition that needed only space to exist . . .

Okay, she was a bit heavier than she looked. For some reason he thought with the way she moved she would have been much lighter, but that was just something he'd have to deal with. It made him slower than normal, but fortunately he could offset that a little with his floating technique.

Unfortunately, with the rain came another problem: once again, the shadows could appear anywhere. As a silhouette appeared in front of him, he didn't think twice in lashing out with the pole to destroy it. Oboreru might have been able to make them appear anywhere again, but those ones could only take one hit, and wouldn't contain anything dangerous.

Using the treetops, he managed to make his way over the army in short order, though it got more dangerous the closer he got to the golem, to the point where nearly all his focus was spent avoiding blasts and striking down shadows. But just as it seemed like he had no where to go, he decided he was close enough: leaping out over the shadow army, towards the golem, he reached to his shoulder and, with a small gasp of pain, pulled out the knife there. He channeled all the Qi he could into his hands, aimed the knife, and with a burst of wind sent it flying towards the golem--and more specifically, straight towards the heart contained within it.