#◟ VERSE 003: SPIRIT BLOSSOM. ◝ ✹ YONE.

[deadn30n]

❝    the  taste  of  food....  how  i miss  it  sometimes...     ❞

[deadn30n]

         ❝    i  don't  have  any  reason  to  lie  to  you;  what good  would  that  do  for  me?     ❞    while  he  understands  the  ideaology  behind  her  perspective,  he  just  can't  bring  himself  to agree.  something  like  taking  hold  of  another's  body,  even  with consent  can  often  tempt  even  the  most  good  natured  of  individuals  into  doing  something evil.  he  knows  what  the  human  heart  is  like;  he  has  a  closer  relationship  to  it  than  he'd  care  to admit.     ❝    never  mind  what  i  can  and  can't  do.  what  i can  do  is  take  you  home,  little  spirit.  are  you  ready  to  go?     ❞    he  thinks  she's  dwelt  long  enough  in  this  world;  anymore  and  it  might seriously  damage  not  only  her  spirit,  but  her  ability  to return  entirely.

         it's  his  sneaking  suspicion  that  the  longer  a  living  human  spirit  lingers  in  this  world,  the  less  likely  it  is  they'll  be  able  to  safely  return  home.   too  long  and  they  might  die,  preventing  them  from ever  going  back.  the  swordsman  stands,  robes  billowing  out  behind  him  as  the  wind  picks  up  and  whips  his  white  hair  around  his  face.     ❝    i  told  you  from  the  start...  this  isn't  where  you belong,  this  isn't  where  you  should be.  you  have  to  go  home,  and  i  know  the  way.  are  you  coming?     ❞    his  back  is  already  turned  to  her;  he  doesn't  need  her  to see  what  kind  of  face  he's  making  right  now;  the sadness  of  losing  company  with  which  he'd  grown  fond.  but  it's  for  the best...  he  knows  that.  he  can't  be selfish  and  rob  the  living  of  what  they  deserve. to  live.

He spoke words that fell on deaf ears; words that applied to her more than they could possibly apply to him. If anyone was undeserving here surely it was Loni. A monster like her never did a thing to earn his kindness, his protection, his honesty. If only he knew all his hopes for her would be for naught. This life of hers was only meant for one thing: revenge. The moment she achieved it death would follow swiftly. For why live when she no longer had a purpose? No longer served any 'good' being a scourge 'pon the Earth?

"I don't think that powers is inherently evil though... Sure in most cases it is. Anyone with ill intention would grasp onto it and never let it go. So much evil could come of it, but for evil to exist so does good." She wasn't sure that made sense, but right now all she wanted was to console this man. His pain was felt so deeply that even she was able to pick up on it. A sixth sense of hers she'd noticed ever since her body was made to match the monster that was her very soul. "If you're lying to me I'm gonna be mad. If someone tells me you could totally take me over I'm going to beat you up the same way I did that azakana the other day. For lying!"

[deadn30n]

❛  is this really how you want this to end?  ❜ give me yone for sess

         OF  COURSE  THIS  ISN'T  WHAT  YONE  WANTS.   his  life  as  a  wandering  spirit  in  the  realm  of  blossoms  had  been  one  he  was  once  keen  on  keeping  tranquil.  but  with  the  appearance  of  azakana  and  the  violence  upon  human  spirits  they  brought,  he'd  no  choice  but  to  raise  his  swords  in  the  defense  of  the  innocent.

       here  and  now  wasn't  much  different.  the  two  of  them  were  utterly  surrounded  by  demons...  as  they  were  called  in  this  world.  he  didn't  fully  understand  it,  Yone  still  wasn't  sure  how  he'd  exited  the  spirit  blossom  realm  and  wound  up  here,  but  he'd  never  been  given  much  time  to  contemplate  it.  not  when  his  life  was  constantly  in  danger.  an  alliance,  at  least,  with  this  particular  demon  had  granted  him  some  small  respite,  but  nothing  more.     ❝    what  other  choice  do  we  have?     ❞    his  words  a  swell  of  regret;  of  frustration.     ❝    if  you  mean  to  survive  this,  i'd  suggest  leaving  me  behind  to  fight  them.  it'll  buy  you  some  time  to  get  away.  understand?     ❞    he's  basically  not  offering  an  alternative  for  his  companion;  Yone  believes  sacrificing  his  own  life  will  pave  the  way  to  a  better outcome.

[deadn30n]

         he  truly  does  appreciate  the  depth  of  her sympathy  for  him,  but  a  part  of  him  believes  it's wasted.  he  died  a  dishonored  man;  he  failed  the one  person  who  meant  the  entire  world  to  him.  he  regrets  not  being  able  to  set  his  brother  onto  the right  path  and  believes  he  rightfully  died  by  his  hand.  a  part  of  him  has always  wondered  if  there  was  something  more  he  could've  done  in  life;  if  he'd  somehow  acted  differently,  said  something  differently...  it  didn't matter  anymore  now  though,  did  it?  everything  he  thought  he'd  done  right,  was  done wrong  and  now  he  was  facing  his  karma.  a  spirit  trapped  between  life  and  death,  cursed  to  wander aimlessly  for  an  eternity  with  all  of  his  regrets  strapped  to  his  back.

         ❝    i  am  undeserving  of  it.    ❞    he  provides  no  further  context  than  that,  and  returns  his  gaze  to  her  beautiful  countenance.  she's  so lovely  and  so alive  that  he  wants  nothing  more  than  to  return  her  to  where  she belongs.  this  world  isn't  for  her;  she  still  has  a future  to  experience  out  there  for  her,  unlike  himself.  she  can't  be  trapped  in  this  place  forever.     ❝    contrary  to  what  you  believe,  i'm  not  a  ghost  or  a  spirit.    ❞    he  laughs  lightly.     ❝    i  don't  possess  the  power  to  invade  someone  else's  body,  and  i  wouldn't  want  to  anyway.  those  powers  are  for  the  evil,  like  the  azakana  you  see  me  fight.    ❞

As someone who's senses revolved heavily around her nose it hurt to know he didn't have that either. Taste was one thing, but to no longer be able to sit outside during the midst of a summer rainstorm, inhale deeply as the scent of water and wet earth invaded his senses... "Lo siento." She offers quietly before packing the rest of her food away and tucking it into her bag.

Noting his expression she carefully moves to place a hand over his own, giving it a soft squeeze. She wouldn't tell him how badly she wished that wasn't the case; how intense her desire for death was. Loni wouldn't spit on him nor his kindness. That was for certain. "I wish I could share it with you. If it was possible in any way I would." Voice trails off as she forces a smile to her face. "Can you take over my body like a ghost? Maybe then you could smell and taste the way I do?"

[deadn30n]

         she  really  is  an odd  one,  isn't  she?  rather  than  inquiring  about  the conventional  things  one  might  eat,  she's  more  focused  on  the unconventional.     ❝    no,  nothing.  neither  taste  nor  smell.    ❞    his  response  is  oddly  quiet  and  he  appears... pensive.  he's  not  looking  at  her  anymore,  but  gazing  out  into  the  brilliantly  beautiful  pastel  landscape  instead.     ❝    people  believe  when  you  die  you're  free,  but  that's  not  the  case  at  all.  there  are  plenty  of  things  i  wish  death  had  taken  from  me  instead  of  my  taste  and  smell.   ❞    memories,  for  one. burdens  and  weights  of  the  world  you  carried  when  you  were  still  alive. those  never  seemed  to  leave  you,  no  matter  how  much  he  tried  to  be  rid  of  them.     ❝    you  should  be  thankful  you're  somehow  still  alive  despite  being  trapped  in  this  world.    ❞

It's strange, of course, to ask such a thing. However, could anyone blame her? Loni would have died if she lost her ability to taste things, but she'd manage if she could at least taste non-food items. Although in the grand scheme of thing everything was food to something out there ( maybe not here though ). "Well it's a question. You can't taste food so maybe youse can taste other stuff... My next inquiry was going to be blood." Said with a completely straight face as her head tilted sideways. "Can youse taste that, Yone?"

[deadn30n]

         he's  always  known  her  to  be  a  little  on  the  strange  side,  but  this  is  a  little  unexpected,  even  from  her.  bemused,  a  sigh  exits  his  lips  as  he  descends  from  the  treebranch  he'd  been  perched  upon,  landing  silently  on  the  ground  below.  he  then  moves  to  sit  beside  her,  shaking  his  head  in  astonishment.     ❝     no.  not  even  that.  why  you  would  want  me  to  put  that  in  my  mouth  though...      ❞    there's  an  arched  brow  as  he  stares  at  her  expectantly.     ❝    do  you  eat  sticks?    ❞

"I don't mind. It's not a huge deal..." She could easily save it for later, which in hindsight was a smart idea, when she was actually starving. Given that she wasn't sure the next time she'd be able to snag food that would be a good plan. "So does that mean taste in general? Or like..." She pauses and glances around before picking up a stick. "Can youse taste this?"

[deadn30n]

         ❝    oh...  no.    ❞    the  swordsman  turns  his  gaze  upon  her,  his  smile  somewhat  soft.     ❝    you  needn't  stop  on  my  account.  i  was  just  lamenting...  i  didn't  realize  i  did  so  out  loud.    ❞    he's  a  tiny  bit  embarrassed  about  that,  but  he'll  recover  well  enough.     ❝    no,  not  since  i  died.  i  haven't  been  able  to  taste  any  of  the  foods  i  used  to  enjoy.    ❞

She pauses mid-bite... "Um should I stop? I didn't realize youse weren't able to eat food, or taste it?" A pause. "Does that mean you can't taste in general then?"

[deadn30n]

               SHE  SPEAKS  IN  HARSH  TONES  SHARP  ENOUGH  TO  RIVAL  THAT  OF  A  KNIFE.    sharp  enough  to  cut  through  his resolve  and  mentally  stumble  for  a  moment.  had  she  somehow  misinterpreted  what  he  meant?  it  was troublesome  if  so,  but  Yone  isn't  entirely  certain  how  he  should navigate  the  thoughts  swirling  his  mind  right  now. if  only  she  knew  how  badly  he  didn't  want  to  get  rid  of  her  right  now.    ❝    i'm  not  trying  to  get  rid  of  you  Loni,  i'm  trying  to  take  you  home.     ❞    i'm  trying  to preserve  your  life.  wasn't  that  enough?  wasn't  that  what  he should  be  doing  right  now?  or  was  he  going  about  this  all  in  the  completely  wrong  way?

               did  she  not  actually want  to  go  home?  she's  walking  ahead  of  him  now,  and  even  though  he  should  be  the  one  taking  the lead,  he's  left  to  helplessly  trail  behind  the  woman.  wondering  how  he  might  go  about  even trying  to  explain  to  her  properly  what  he  means  to  do  here.  this  world  is  meant  for  the dead  and  he  knows  he's  told  her  that  already;  the  living  were  in immense  danger  here.  when  the  dead  were  slain  by  Azakana,  they  simply  ceased  to  exist.  but  when  the living  were  slain  by  an  Azakana,  they  went  through  an unspeakable  amount  of  pain  because  of  it.     ❝    you...  don't  actually  want  to  stay  here,  do  you?    ❞

               he's  hesitant  to  even  delve  into  that  question,  but  the  way  she's  acting  leads  him  to  the  suspicion  that  may  actually  be  the  case.     ❝    you  don't  want  to  go  back  to  the  world  of  the  living?    ❞    he's  much  too curious  for  his  own  good,  and  one  day  it's  going  to  get  him  in trouble;  but  he  wants  to  know  now. why,  if  she  did  want  to  stay.  there  was nothing  here  for  her   (   he  certainly  didn't  think  of  himself  as  a  reason  to  stick  around   ).  a  slain   &&   dishonored  swordsman  would  make  for  a terrible  companion  anyway.

Her plan of attempting to lighten the mood backfired. How foolish she'd been to think she could manage such a thing. Yone, most likely, was just being kind. He'd mentioned time and time again how he'd find a way to send her back, and alas it seemed like he finally had. He's probably looking forward to having me out of his hair. She'd glad he had turned to face away from her because surely she'd have the most pitiful, pained expression written across her own.

"I told you from the start... this isn't where you belong, this isn't where you should be."

Yes. Yes she knows this. This world was not meant for her ( not yet at least ). She wondered if one day she'd come here, but not as Yone was... rather as the very things he killed. Honestly she hadn't a clue because she still didn't understand where this was or how a person could get sent to this world. He wasn't a ghost nor a spirit so in a way he couldn't be dead ( technically speaking right ), so perhaps there was no way for her ever to come back even if she died? "Fine. Let's go."

In a fit only she was aware of she stands and quickly brushes past him. Back to a world where I have to be cruel, back to a world I have to support on my shoulders, back to a world with her in it, back to a world I just want to die in already. "Then you can be rid of me and go on with your life."