027 -- [Voice || Written || Action] Backdated to the 6th

[endgames]

[It's been two days now, since the mission at that hospital. It feels awkward coming to the journal like this... he didn't even know Precis all that well, outside of two missions. But reviewing journal conversations, it didn't seem as if she knew anyone well on the last one either. A village-wide announcement seems callous.

In the end, he winds up crafting a wide filter, based off of her journal responses and the two mission experiences he's aware of. Tl;dr: if you've ever had a public thread with Precis, or went on a mission with her, you're good to be included in the filter.]

[Filtered to Associates of Precis F. Neumann || Unhackable]

On the fourth of September, Precis Neumann died participating in a mission outside the enclosure. No doubt she saved countless lives, but...

[...]

If you knew her, I offer my condolences for your loss.

[/end filter]

[For the rest of the day, Shikamaru will be in the forest surrounding CH1. Looking back over the journals revealed something else too. You'd think with the way he memorizes things it'd have hit him sooner, but he was never so good with dates.]

Two years... Tch. How troublesome.

[He'll be out here, training primarily with his shadow, but watching clouds too. Not for too long. Within the hour, he's cracking out another filter on the journal.]

[Filtered to Uzumaki Naruto || Unhackable]

Let's take care of that thing we discussed.

Comments

[Voice in that Filter]

[rashness]

Fine! Just outside my house and... [GROWL. Whatever, he's going to just stand outside house fifteen. Snarl]

[Voice in that Filter]

[endgames]

[...this would be a bad time to say he doesn't know where that is.]

I'll be around.

[Luckily he is a ninja, and he can do some recon. This guy used to live in the same building as him, so that gives a path to start. Looking out for fire works too.]

[Voice in that Filter]

[rashness]

[That and he's on (blue) fire and lives in House 15 which is... right there near C1.]

[Action]

[endgames]

[Yup, that stands out. Shikamaru touches down on the path next to the house. It's obvious he hasn't calmed any, but now that he has more than a picture to work with he's gauging him, regardless.]

[Action]

[rashness]

[Snarling. He's snarling and his flames are spewing and really... he's in shock. He's so pained and shocked and frankly he's not sure he should believe Shikamaru... so.

Well, the sword on his back is also spewing what looks like electrical sparks near the scabbard's opening, even if it isn't drawn]

[Action]

[endgames]

[He gets the automatic impression that he does not want to see that sword be drawn. He doesn't know the half of it, really, but just by its reaction to Rin's pain he can make that judgement.

It's mostly secondary. That pain is obvious, as obvious as the heat between them. Scorched air; scorched heart. Open, bleeding heart.]

Is this the first time?

[Action]

[rashness]

First time for what?! [Roared back at him - but now he turns to Shikamaru more plainly. When he does something behind Shikamaru (probably a streetlight) explodes in blue flame, spewing glass from his glare]

[Action]

[endgames]

[Shikamaru doesn't turn - not out of being too cool to bother or anything (on the contrary he looks consternated), he just doesn't want to get a face full of glass today. He does take two steps forward though, conscious of his shadow flickering.]

That you've lost someone. [No, be blunter.] That they've died.

[Action]

[rashness]

No, it ain't. [His flames pick up some more. He tries to calm down though. Quick, short breaths. And trying to keep it in order. His sword is still sparking though]

[Action]

[endgames]

[He's just that type then. Like Naruto, who wears his heart on his shirt.]

...you should know then, it's okay to be upset. And to hurt.

[Action]

[rashness]

Yeah, I know that!

[Snapped. He shouldn't be snap- oh who cares]

[Action]

[endgames]

I'm not here to hold you back, or to make you open up.

[Action]

[rashness]

[He grits his teeth, simmering for a while, before he forces an exhale with a burst of flame on the end of it and trying to be calmer but now trembling-] Why? ...Why would she die out there?

[Action]

[endgames]

[.....]

Sometimes that's the reward, when you try and do the right thing.

[Action]

[rashness]

Don't give me thhaaaaaat! That's not an answer! [His flames burst to life again, roaring, and he starts to cry now]

[Action]

[endgames]

It is. [He raises his voice, over the roar of the flames.] It's not fair, but it's not cheap either!

[Action]

[rashness]

That ain't no answer! What killed her?!

[Satan? Himself? Malnosso? What can he punch? His scabbard's electrical discharge gets strong]

[Action]

[endgames]

Nothing you can touch. A bomb. She took it.

[Action]

[rashness]

[Two things happen, pretty much all at once. The first is that Rin snaps. His sword is seemingly forced out of its scabbard without him touching it. Only a little, but it's enough to break the seal. That means he assumes his full demon form. The sheer power of that moment which I don't think Shikamaru's seen before is probably overwhelming. Blue flames go everywhere, and the roar Rin elicits now actually makes the air in this area vibrate as if he were a bass speaker.

Second, in one jump he's right in front of Shikamaru (or if Shikamaru flash steps, right where Shikamaru was) with an attempt to grab him by the collar and life him off the ground without any effort being made at all]

[Action]

[endgames]

[One second too late. It's a sixth sense he's relied on for years, the instinctive need to run, to dodge. It's part of what's kept him alive all this time, just like the deer his family raise.

But too little too late. Halfway out Rin will manage to snag him, and Shikamaru doesn't struggle after that or say a word, too busy putting his brain to work on this. His face doesn't properly show what he's feeling, but his skin has gone cold even with the heat of the flames.

And this must be what it's like, he thinks, to face Naruto when he's drawing on the Kyuubi's power.

He's afraid.]

[Action]

[rashness]

[Despite being in his demon form (flames, horns of flames, claws, elongated teeth, and because he didn't draw his sword properly a huge torrent of blue fire shooting out of where the scabbard ends) it's worth noting Rin is very much in control. Sort of, for now.

You see, Rin's eyes in this form have three levels of progression. They can be little wheels of flame, when he's particularly far gone - in danger of burning up his own soul. The middle ground is when his eyes become cat-like slits, showing his lack of humanity. But right now, while furious, his eyes are distinctly human.

In fact, in great irony to the massive power he's putting out now and the flames surrounding his whole body and by extension Shikamaru (which aren't burning anything by the way and just feel lukewarm) he's still crying.]

I'm gonna say it plainly. Precis would never kill herself. What happened?! [That last word was roared, vibrating the air again. It also means he got too angry for a split second. The result of that is that the grass the other plant life his flames were touching is reduced to ash in that split second]

[Action]

[endgames]

[Shikamaru's voice is calm. Perhaps overly calm, in spite of his fear. He is a shinobi, after all.]

I said before she saved countless lives, remember? [Probably not, because he's in pain. But hey, he'll remind him.] You're the one who jumped to conclusions.

Negotiations went sour, and one of the men had a bomb. It was Shift-enhanced. Would've taken out the entire building -- the entire hospital and then some. But she took it into a room that nullified the effects. That controlled the explosion.

[Action]

[rashness]

[He can't fairly say he doesn't care about those lives, because he does. He's cared about people's lives since forever and honestly seeing that one guy - some random guy - just shot through the head during the whole Kin'coran thing only made it so much worse. But this is Precis. The only girl he ever dated, despite the circumstances of it. A genius. An inventor. And Inventor... ]

...She was-

[He starts to tremble now. It obviously has nothing to do with Shikamaru's weight. Really, Shikamaru might as well be a feather to Rin in this form. his flames are dying down, but he hasn't set the guy down yet. His tears are starting to mess up his vision. His other arm goes up to clean off his face, and he grits his teeth]

-She was gonna diffuse the stupid- Dammit! Dammit! [It's no one's fault. Precis didn't have enough skill, or enough time. Or both. Dammit, Dammit, dammit]

[Action]

[endgames]

[--yeah. Yeah that sounds about right. It was something he thought of, but he couldn't say for certain. He knew she was good with computers and tech, but not much of other skills.

Rin's confidence just affirms it though. You knew her well, didn't you? There's friends, and then there's the people you're close to. He doesn't need to say anything, the guy knows he's right.

Clinically, he knows he should take advantage of this. Stronger than him or not he's distracted. Shikamaru doesn't intend to go anywhere, but he could at least get out of his grip.

He won't. Not yet.]

[Action]

[rashness]

[Rin unceremoniously drops Shikamaru then. His tears are falling freely now. And the flames burst out for a moment again before the sword caps back in and he returns to normal in a flash, crouched over]

Dammit, Precis!