Seikou wanders into the square, looking... different. A beam sabre's hilt now rests on his back instead of his staff, and his eyes are... empty...

Variance wanders in himself from the Western Gate, hand dropping from where it was nursing his still-burning neck as his eyes catch Seikou's. "...Sei... Seikou?!"

Seikou stares at Variance in silence for a moment before pulling the beam sabre off his back. "...How could you...?" he states in a voice like ice.

Variance's expression changes once again to that bewildered confusion that's been favoring him for the past few days. "...What?"

Seikou steps forward, flicking on the beam sabre. It's pitch black, and he grips it tightly. "How could you forget about me?"

You say 'Forget...? I -never- forgot you, and never will! What's gotten into you?!'

Aura tromps in from the north, a semi-agitated look on her face as she stops, suddenly aware of the presence of others nearby, and attempts to recollect herself, suddenly taking on a more timid air.

Seikou is still walking forwards, not yet noticing Aura's enterance. "You didn't come for me. You sat and trained on your little hill while I could've been in pain."

Despite the company being that of reploids, Aura seems a bit stand-offish, standing idly off to one side while glancing off in another direction, pretending not to pay attention.

Variance stands his ground, weapon still lowered helplessly beside him. "I didn't know where he took you, I was tryiing to find you! I swear, I had every intention of saving you!"

You say 'And I still do!'

Seikou grins a little as he raises the blade in preperation to strike. "Well, I'm afraid it's a little too late for that now..." He cuts diagonally, anger evident in the stroke.

Aura gasps audibly, hesitantly taking a step back away from the impending fray, violet eyes growing wide.

The black stream of plasma just barely misses its chance to strike Variance, the ivory-clad Hunter jumping and leaning slightly out of its reach. Still he doesn't raise his weapon...

You say 'It's never too late! Please~!'

Seikou notices the gasp and turns around a little to face Aura. "...Aura..." he whispers, eyes softening for a moment. However, he quickly regains his composure and turns back to face Vari. "No! This is your fault, and you will face the consequences!"

Variance starts to protest once again, but suddenly grips his neck, almost dropping his polearm from the burst of pain...

Aura looks distraught as she tries to discern what's happening, but doesn't seem capable of moving, glancing between Seikou and you in apprehensive dismay, unaware of what the right and wrong is.

Seikou raises an eyebrow at Variance's behavior. "...Is something wrong, Vari-sama?" The sama is pronoinced with utter disdain, and he grins darkly.

Variance tries to get a word in edgewise through the strangling pain, and actually manages to make a fair show of it, considering the circumstances. "...Fight it..."

Aura seems to break suddenly from whatever trance of fear she'd been held by, and frowns, looking upon Seikou in startled confusion. "What.. why are you..?"

Seikou turns to look at Aura. "...Because nobody gives a damn about me anymore. I decided that if even my dearest partner saw me as more of a -threat- than anything else, I might as well become one..."

Someone phases in on top a roof no far off from the square, still continuing to peer at the three reploids.

Aura suddenly looks more understanding, her expression gaining a bit of anger.

Aura says 'You.. lied to me, then. I thought Hunters were stronger.. than that..'

Aura seems rather dismayed, as if even hearing this from someone she'd only met once before was enough to do emotional damage.

Seikou blinks. "I said nothing about us being strong. I said they were trying to fight... I never said we were succeeding... and now, thanks to Vari over there, another battle's been lost!"

Aura shakes her head, black-gloved hands clenching into fists as she tries to get the gist of it all.

The pain lessens enough for Variance to look something other than struggling, namely inwardly wounded. No... that can't be right, he's been fighting for Seikou the whole time... "I..."

Aura says 'You made it sound as though.. you had it under control. I don't..'

Aura cuts herself short, looking from Seikou to you in confusion, suddenly unsure of whether she even had any business here or not.

Seikou walks over to Vari and looks angered again, ignoring Aura for now. "Don't try to redeem yourself, Variance. You didn't even try to recover me. You probably were just glad a threat like myself was gone... And now you're just paying the price."

Aura, fearing the worst and taking nothing for herself into consideration, reaches out suddenly to grab at Seikou's arm. "Stop it. Please, just.. stop.. There doesn't need to be any -more- pain..!"

"That's a lie!" Variance again instictively grips his neck again, thrown into another fit of burning pain... wait. Vice... He looks up again, questioningly. "What has he been telling you?"

Seikou slaps Aura's hand away annoyedly. "Stay -out- of this, girl! This is not your battle!" His eyes contain a small amount of... worry?

Aura's hand is slapped away, but she doesn't move back at all, adamant in her position on the matter, whether it truly was or wasn't her fight. "You're going to let a misunderstanding swing your weapon in your stead.. aren't you?"

Seikou says 'It's not a misunderstanding! He -abandoned me-! I coud've died!'

You say 'That's not true! Whatever you heard from him could never be called the truth!'

Aura looks from Seikou to you, and then back again, suddenly apprehensive again.

Seikou whirls around. "And why not? I didn't see you trying to stop him when he carried me away..."

Aura blinks, instantly tense. "Who is.. 'he'?"

Seikou says '...Vaisu... The one who awakened me to the truth...'

Aura looks as though someone had just slapped her across the face.

Variance pauses, looking even more hurt than before. "...You didn't see it because you weren't conscious to! I -tried- to stop him! Dammit, I put a BLADE THROUGH HIS STOMACH!" His voice drops off again, and still he stands, on the verge of tears..

Aura says 'You would follow.. the same person who had threatened me in my own home.. Without question, even after..? I..'

Aura lowers her eyes, speechless.

Seikou looks conflicted or a moment, turning from Aura to Vice, his eyes normal again... Then he falls to his knees. "No! I will NOT listen to you!" he screams.

Someone throws a pair of energy beam kunais at Aura's feet, a warning it seems. "Stay out of this!"

Aura shrieks mildly, the weapons aimed at her feet knocking her enough out of her distressed state to stumble backwards, falling against the bench before collecting herself.

Seikou looks up at where the kunais came from. "...Don't hurt Aura..." he whispers, throat dry.

Aura looks up and around for the source of the kunais and the voice, apparently angered. "You coward! Why did you do this to him?!"

Variance stands a little straighter to attention, his own gaze flitting about the square, trying to find the voice. And once he does... Well, saying it wouldn't be pretty at first wouldn't be entirely accurate.

Vice hops down from the roof, he walks towards Seikou, ignoring Aura's question. "Remember what I've said."

Seikou says '...You said nothing about Aura. Leave her out of this.'

Aura instinctively reaches to her sides, the hilt of both knives easily grasped as she looks between you and Seikou, still quite upset.

Vice looks somewhat angered. "Why are you in this town in the first place?! I've told you to go to the town at the base of the mountain."

Seikou shakes his head. "I apologize... I got lost..."

Variance suddenly takes a step forward, finally raising his weapon, if only in defense. "Don't apologize to him, he hasn't done anything for you."

Seikou half-turns to look at Variance. "...He saved me from my inner turmoil... And he told me the truth about you..."

Aura remains where she is, halfway off to the side, caught between the idea of not involving herself in something that didn't concern her, and that of what she believes is the right thing.

You say 'He told you -lies- about me! Bent the truth for his own gain!'

Seikou says '...Prove it to me, Hunter...'

Vice snickers, the look of satisfaction is seen on his face. He turns to Seikou once again, whispering something. "Take care of the hunter and the girl will remain safe."

Seikou nods and lunges at Variance again, slashing with the sabre in standard Seikou fashion.

Variance tenses and curses under his breath, throwing his weight to the right and swinging his blade just close enough to Seikou to fend off his saber. He wasn't going to hit him, not yet, and hopefully not ever. A vain hope, to be sure...

Aura whirls, taking Seikou's advancement away from Vice's voice to unsheath and whip a long-bladed knife in the direction of the voice, with unconcealed precision and dexterity, a light growl escaping her throat as she does.

Seikou is blocked and looks annoyed, kicking at Variance instead of attempting to break the block. He hasn't even noticed Aura's behavior yet, too caught in the battle against vari.

Vice notices the knife approaching from a great distance, giving him more than enough time to sidestep away from it.

Variance grunts in idle protest, haphazardly taking a wide step backwards to steady himself from the reeling induced by the kick. He keeps his spear's blade in front of him, slowly circling around Seikou, waiting for the next attack...

Seikou attempts to slash through the spear's handle this time, rather than directly attacking Vari at the moment.

Vice turns to the hunters, or rather hunter and former hunter. "Seikou, you're taking far too long. If the fight carries on any longer, I'll just have to kill the girl."

Alamarde has arrived from the north.

Seikou shakes his head. "I'll finish it, just please don't hurt Aura..."

Aura scowls, leaving her other knife in its sheath, violet eyes narrowing. "Mavericks.. I think I understand, now.."

Variance steps back again, pulling his weapon's somewhat fragile shaft from the burning blade... a split-second too late. Another curse escapes him as his usually dependable spear falls from his hands, both parts clattering lifelessly to the ground. Oh, -yay-.

Seikou grins at this and slashes at Variance's chest, attempting to shatter the gem there as well as do pure physical damage.

Aura composes herself, turning halfway from Vice and towards Seikou and you, distressed. "Why do you continue to obey him?! Threat after threat, and still without question..?"

Seikou is still in mid-slash, but he turns his head to look at Aura. "...Why do you care? This isn't your battle. You don't know me... You don't care about me..."

Variance quickly brings his hands together, shouting an arcane phrase. The black flame clashes against the brilliant sphere of white light that shimmers into being and he winces, the mental drain from his action quite obvious.

Aura steps forward urgently, barely amidst the ongoing battle, stubbornly. "But you obviously care about -me-! You wouldn't be asking for my safety if you didn't..!"

Seikou looks annoyed. "...Impressive, Hunter..."

You say 'Listen to yourself... You were so happy when you were talking about her before, and now you're saying she doesn't -care-? ...You really -have- changed, haven't you?'

Vice continues to watch the battle, analyzing every move the two reploids make, but is suddenly distracted due to the comment being made by the girl.

Seikou shake shis head vehemently, eyes closed, pressing down against Vari's shield with all his might. "Ooone understands but Vice! Noone can unserstand what I went through! Don't you see that?!"

Aura looks up, eyes shimmering. "You say you don't care.. but if you didn't.."

Alamarde says quietly, looking at Aura. "You're a machine, why are they fighting for you? Do they wish to court you like a human? I didn't know machines could feel jealousy."

Aura turns again, taking a wild swing in the direction of Vice's voice, whether she can't see him or otherwise, oblivious to Alamarde's query.

Variance struggles to remain standing, still forcing his will into upholding the barrier around him, the only thing between him and most likely certain death. "You're right... no one can truly understand but you..."

Seikou nods and sighs. "That's why I need to be with him..."

Alamarde says to himself, absently, I wonder if machines can truly die or if they feel pain.'

Vice dodges the reckless swings, then turning to face Seikou once more. "You are driving my patience. You have five minutes."

Seikou turns to Aura, pressing down further. "Flee! Now! I don't know if I can do it in time..."

"But..." A slight, cynical smirk makes its way onto Variance's still-struggling features as an aura springs up about him, though not the usual dim white light of gathering mana. It's more of a light lavender, its consistency broken by a vivid red band around his neck. "But we can come pretty close."

Seikou blinks. "The hell...?" he mutters.

Aura shrieks in distress as her punch connects with naught but air, and sidesteps, eyes flashing angrily. "I'm tired of running! -I'm- not the coward here! And if you really were concerned with my safety, you'd open yourself to all viewpoints, not this creep's!"

Seikou says '...What the hell am I supposed to do...? He's the only one who's experienced my pain... How can you understand?'

Variance drops to one knee, still pouring all of his power into the thin shield of mana around him. "Vice... He showed me what it's like. I imagine it's an infinity times worse for you, but it's enough for intuition to complete. The burning pain, the clashing..."

Seikou says '...Vaisu... did that to you...?'

You say '...It wasn't much, more of an exhibition than an actual infection... And I still don't fully understand, which is why I'm saying you can still fight it off.'

Seikou shakes his head and lessens the pressure on the beam sabre a little. "How could he pretend to care about my pain and then inflict it upon another...?"

Biting on his lower chin, Alamarde glances at the spectacle before him, eyeing it with interest as he taps his chin with the fingers on his left hand, speaking to himself. "In this strange world, robots can be humanlike.."

Alamarde says, in afterthought, "Flaws and all."

Seikou drinks water from the Fountain of Truce.

Aura glares intently at the spot where she assumed Vice to be. "You called him a 'Maverick' for a reason, didn't you? You feel wronged from what your friend did.. but turning on your friend now.. how does that make you any better..?"

Aura seems to be speaking to Seikou, despite her eyes being elsewhere.

Seikou shakes his head and fully releases the pressure on the shield. "...Vaisu... how...? You sayd you knew how it felt... and then you inflicted it on someone I cared about just like that?!" He whirls around. "HOW COULD YOU?!"

Aura backpedals considerably as Seikou shouts, eyes widening as she looks upon him instantaneously.

Seikou charges where Vice's voice was coming from, slashing with the shimmering black blade...

Alamarde exhales, as he glances around, before speaking, to himself mostly, "Too much like humans, this will be dangerous...they'll have to be handled like humas, then."

Variance says nothing else, the lingering pain of over-exertion muting any attempts to speak as he lowers his hands, the barrier returning to its usual dim state. This is where he would stand and join the charge, but again, exhaustion.

Aura looks a little unsteady from the shouting and previous arguing, but casts a sidelong glance in Variance's direction, alert in almost every fashion. "Are you okay..?"

Vice reaches for his own saber, surging with red plasma. He parries Seikou's slash with one of his own.

Variance nods, still down on one knee and now panting. "I'm fine."

With a casual shrug, Alamarde walks over towards the fountain, sitting upon the brim as he sticks a bare hand into the waters.

Seikou kicks at Vice's chest as usual, glaring at the Maverick with a furious intensity.

"Spirit of water, in all your eternity I have not seen such awkward displays of emotion and violence, through man and now...machine" Alamarde says, as he splashes the fountain's waters briefly, his reflection rippling.

Aura lowers her eyes sullenly, looking back towards where Seikou and Vice are having at it, hesitant on any further action as a jumble of feelings and thoughts parade through her at just that point in time.

Vice is knocked back slightly from the kick, pulling out a pair of energy beam kunai's after recovering from the hit, he throws them at the two reploids next to each other.

Seikou looks desperate and for once doesn't take the hit for Variance, instead leaping in front of the one intended for Aura...

Tapping his chin, Alamarde speaks, "All this fighting, and in city streets? How savage, how about some challenge" He pauses, before looking down at the waters.

Aura reaches up with her arms to protect herself from the oncoming weapon, but blinks as Seikou dives in front of it, instead... "Seikou..!!"

Seikou is struck in one arm and falls to the ground. "agh..."

Vice laughs at Seikou. "What about your partner? Was the rage from before just an act?"

Pausing, Alamarde rises up, glancing over at the group as he shakes his head. He begins to move northward.

Alamarde leaves north.

Seikou says '...I had to make a choice... I'm sorry, Vari-sama...'

Variance fends fairly well for himself, throwing his last surge of mental energy into his shield just as the projectile hits. The sphere of mana flashes brilliantly and fades, leaving the energy kunai to fall to the ground before him...

You say 'Not a problem~...'

Aura moves to step over Seikou, eyes wide in shock as she looks upon Vice. "You.. you bastard!"

Seikou shakes his head and pushes himself to his feet. "It's fine, Aura-san..."

Aura sidesteps, awed by the fact that Seikou wasn't seriously hurt by the weapon enough to momentarily forget her anger at Vice, suddenly concerned for the former. "Seikou.. are you..?"

Aura trails off, tipping her head slightly to one side.

Variance stands fully, now completely defenseless and visibly wavering. Despite this, he still manages to look convicted and determined in Vice's general vicinity...

Seikou nods and pulls the kunai out of his arm, wincing a sa trickle of blood runs from the would. "I'm... I'm fine, Aura-san. Please run... I'm begging you..."

Vice smirks, turning away from Variance's gaze, as he begins to walk away.

Seikou dashes until he's behind Vice and slashes one last time, attempting to strike the Maverick down.

Aura watches Seikou quietly for not more than a few moments, before allowing her gaze to weave back to Vice's retreating form, disobeying the former completely by remaining where she is, eyes mistying slightly.

Variance looks somewhat disturbed as his lack of ability to strike Vice with such a great opportunity, though he wouldn't be able to do much in his current state. Instead he speaks softly, reassuringly, "Seikou's right, you should leave, if only until this ends."

Vice instantly appears behind the running Seikou, appearing as if he's teleported. He grabs ahold the back of his head, and in a swift motion, slams his face into the ground.

Seikou just lies there, stunned at the least, incapacitated (yet again) at the most.

Aura hesitates, looking back between the both of them again, and sighs her agreement, with a firm nod. "All right.. I'll comply. Just, please.." She doesn't finish her sentence, and instead, turns and hurries northward, towards the distant sanctuary.

Variance lets out a short curse and quickly takes a half of his weapon in hand(he doesn't care which), and darts up behind Vice, swinging the blunt sidearm as forcefully as he can manage at his head.

Vice still on his knees, takes his saber and attempts to stab backwards at oncoming reploid.

Variance stops just before getting the haymaker swing in, a sharp cry escaping him as the blade bites deeply into his front, though thankfully nowhere too vital, thus allowing him to step back and collect himself instead of immediately falling.

Seikou manages to raise his head. "Vari-sama..."

Vice walks over to Seikou, who's now lying on the ground. "I am giving you one more chance, only because you show promise, if you are willing to follow, meet me once again."

Seikou remains silent, no longer sure what to do now...

Variance considers trying his desperation move once again, but then he realizes Vice could just stab him again and opts to stand where he is, holding his wound and praying that Vice needs time to plot again...

Vice looks towards Variance. "As for you, your pain will continue to get worse. Do not interfere with my plans again, or it will result in your demise."

Variance says nothing, hoping his incredibly cross scowl gets his point across.

Vice slowly fades, leaving the hazy trail from the cloaking unit's activation, while he walks away to the north.

Vice leaves north.
Seikou leaves north.

((Again, another RP! x.x))

Variance leans against the wall on the left side from the entrance, arms crossed over his chest and gaze sunken in thought. He'd been ordered to lose his armor while in for repairs, hence his only wearing his bodysuit and donning a bandage around his waist.

Seikou wanders in from the healing chambers quietly, looking at the ground and not even noticing Vari.

Again, Seikou was incapacitated, due mostly or entirely because of one, his being too slow to react or two, his inability to do as such. What was this, the -third- time Variance had to see him unconscious in the past month?

Seikou starts to head for the door, eyes still lowered, turning for a moment to look at Vari before his hand rests on the handle. "...Vari-sama, would you handle the resignation papers for me...?" he says quietly.

Variance doesn't meet Seikou's eyes, looking a little further into the distance beyond the wall in front of him. "...No one's forcing you to stay, and I'll handle the papers if it's really what you want."

Seikou shakes his head. "Even if I wanted to stay, I'm too much of a risk... This is the second time the Virus has gotten out of my control... And I think it's stronger now..."

Variance nods slowly, hand automatically going to his neck at the mention of the Virus. "I understand... but even though it might be almost insignificant now, I still believe the Virus can be overcome, no matter how deeply it's infected you, or anyone."

Seikou sighs and turns away from the door. "...This is all my fault, Vari-sama. I failed to pretect you... you got infected because of me... and then I had the nerve to say it was because of you..."

Signas nearly walks out, but hears Seik's last sentence, and decides to stay where he is, eavesdropping!

Variance finally turns to face Seikou, not nearly as distant as he was. "You don't have to take everything upon yourself. In fact, -I- should be the one apologizing for not being able to stop Vice from taking you sooner. And the last part... I know it wasn't you."

Seikou says '...All the same, if Vaisu can make me fall to the Virus that easily... It's too much of a threat for me to remain, isn't it?'

"I wouldn't say that." Variance stands fully, idly clutching his still-repairing injury. "Can't say anything for certain other figures of authority, but I certainly wouldn't throw you out. Besides, you came out it almost as easily as you fell to it."

You say 'I'd say that's a pretty promising prospect.'

Seikou says '...Only because you and Aura-san were there...'

Seikou seems to be repressing something, still looking at the ground.

Variance lets out a small, tired sigh, walking over to Seikou and lending a supportive hand to his shoulder and smile in like. "As I said, no one's forcing you... But if you want to stay, I'll be right there to help you, as always."

You say 'And as Unit Commander, I'm sure I can persuade Signas to let me take responsibility for anything that might count against you.'

Seikou whispers, quietly, "...I was going to kill again, Vari-sama... The only reason I didn't was because I found you first..."

Variance lowers his tone as well, "And since I said I'll be right alongside you, I'll be there to distract the Virus from harming anyone in your name. But only if you'll let me."

You say 'It's still your decision.'

Seikou nods. "...Thank you, Vari-sama..."

Variance nods in reply, smile growing a little brighter. "So I take it I'm spared from paperwork for another ten minutes?"

Seikou grins. "Yup."

Signas's office door slides open as he steps out, completely nonchalant. "Ah, good afternoon, gentlemen!"

Variance takes his arm back to himself to grasp his wound again, walking back towards the break room entrance, a sort of eternal relief settling on his shoulders.

Variance stops abruptly, saluting. "Sir!"

Seikou looks up and salutes sharply as well. "Hello, sir!"

Signas says 'At ease, you two. Today's nice and quiet. Haven't gotten any reports of new Mavericks in three days, even.'

Signas makes no acknowledgement of the earlier conversation. This situation is going to require some maneuvering.

Variance nods, trying to hold back a curse as he rubs at the back of his neck again.

Signas sits down at a desk and thumbs through the papers on it. Business as usual, mmhm.

Seikou steps forward a little. "Sir, one Maverick's activity ahs moved up... That of 'Vaisu'."

Variance coughs a little, correcting the dialect. "Vice. And he's been quite busy lately."

Signas looks up. "Busy? He's one of our main concerns. I thought he had moved to some other part of the continent as I haven't gotten a report on him in a while, but what's he up to?"

Signas looks directly at Variance as he mentions 'reports', even.

Seikou says '...Vari-sama, will you give the report, please?'

Variance tries to make his hesitation as unnoticable as he possibly can, that eternal relief from before fading in an instant. "There have been several incidents involving Vice and usually just one victim, along with what's been unanimously described as 'a blood-red light' by onlookers."

Signas says 'Hm. Any information on the 'victims'?'

Variance tries to keep his put-upon status known only to himself, keeping up his air of professionalism. "All we know is that the reported ones have all been reploids, but all of them are of little or no description."

You say 'Also, every attack has been in a location radically different from the last.'

Signas thinks, 'Hmmmm.'

Seikou nods, brushing a strand of black hair out of his eyes, still standing rigid at attention.

Signas says 'I see. We'll need to put out an alert on Vice. If he's really capable of moving from place to place that rapidly, he probably has transportation of some kind.'

Signas says 'But, one last thing.. What do you mean by 'little or no description'. The victims surely were able to give you some information, weren't they?'

Variance curses himself mentally for letting a slight sign of nervousness slip under his watch, but quickly tries to recover. "No, sir. Most of them were unconscious or too distraught to say anything of use."

Signas says 'I see. Thanks for your report, commander(??). I'll see if I can get another unit to follow up on the victims.'

Variance nods and excuses himself towards the general vicinity of the break room...

Seikou performs one last salute and follows Variance, allowing himself a tiny sigh of relief, hoping it won't be audible.

Signas nods and stands "Dismissed, gentlemen!" He walks back into his office and closes the door.

Signas sits at his desk, looking worried. He mumbles to himself: "But what are we going to do about Seikou?"

[[ BREAK TIME ]]

Vice plants his hands on the ground, slowly continuing to rise up to his feet, completely ignoring the hooked blade near his neck.

The light around Variance begins fading gradually as he takes a cautious step back. Okay, Vice wasn't -this- suicidal last time... He quickly regains his ground, rebuilding his charge and forcing the point of the blade's hook a little harder.

Seikou watches in silence, eyes unreadable. The fear has dissapated as he leans against a wall, merely waiting for the next move...

Raising the hands planted on the ground, with a quick motion, Vice slams them into the ground to spring himself backwards into the air.

Seikou immediatley abandons his relaxed position and falls back into a combat stance, eyes narrowing again. "Bloody..."

Vice lands hard on his feet, a little past the broken wall from the recent beam attack.

Variance makes with a short curse and finally decides to use his Charge, following his time-honored 'if it's not broken, don't fix it' tactic and firing off an immensely bright beam of white energy, only this time aimed more at the center of Vice's chest...

Vice quickly grabs ahold of the saber with both hands, firmly gripping the handle, concentrating the focus of energy, an actual image of a sword swirling with energy appears. Dashing towards the beam, he slices the energy in half.

Seikou looks annoyed and leaps at Vice, attempting a dramatic stabbing mauever from the side, his hair flowing behind him as he jumps.

Variance doesn't bother to say anything, pushing off opposite of Seikou and going for a melee attack of his own, though from a somewhat awkward position, considering he can't exactly glide around like certain other Dash-addicts...

Vice without hesitation, leaps into the air, grabbing ahold of Seikou's face and slamming it straight into a nearby wall.

Seikou is stunned by the attack, slumping against the wall, something vital clearly having been at least shaken by the slam.

Vice says ' WORTHLESS! You fail to protect your friend, and yet, you plan to save everyone?'

Seikou shakes his head, recovering slightly. "I will DESTROY YOU!" He dashes forward again, all the finesse gone from his thrust, replaced with pure rage.

Vice dashes towards Seikou, and grabs ahold of both his hands, engaged in a battle of pure physical strength.

Seikou grins and kicks at Vice's chest rather than attempting to free his hands, trying to use the kick to propel him away.

Variance takes the opportunity to position himself a little more favorably, hoping Seikou can hold Vice off long enough for him to prepare another attack...

Vice slides a few feet back from the hit.

Seikou nods and does another jumpdash style leap, trying to angle himself in such a way that he can plunge onto Vice from directly above.

Vice says ' I've had enough of this child's play.'

Vice reaches to grab the energy beam kunais attached to his back, gripping three of them, he flings them at the airborn Seikou.

Variance takes one last step back, placing far too much faith in having enough time to pull his little plan off, widening his stance and holding his spear horizontally before him. He closes his eyes, another aura of light springing up around him, though not like the other's he's held.

Seikou attempts to knock them out of the air with his staff and only succeeds in knocking away one, the other two striking his chest and arm. The momentum of the kunais stops his lunge and he falls to the ground, barely able to land on his knees rather than face first.

Vice looks over to Seikou. "This is not your true strength."

Variance's eyes snap open, and he raises his weapon again, spinning it in the air exactly twice before stabbing it into the ground. He throws his arms outwards, aura flashing and expanding... then reforming into a pair of silhouettes strikingly similar to him.

Seikou shakes his head, struggling to his feet, using the staff as support. "I'm giving all I have... I'm just not good enough..." His eyes are closed, so he fails to see Variance's spell. "I'm sorry, Vari-sama..."

Vice notices the energy forming behind him and immediately dashes towards Seikou.

Seikou stabs outward with the staff as Vice charges, attempting to catch him on the tines.

Variance commands the two 'clones' towards Vice, hoping they set off their one attack before vice can cause further harm to Seikou...

Vice slaps the staff away from the weakened Seikou, as he leaps over him and delivers a kick to his back, sending him flying towards the clones.

Seikou is just still flying because he really can't stop. ;.;

Variance suddenly tenses and shouts out another command, the identical bodies of light pushing off from each other just quickly enough to let Seikou pass by them unharmed before the energies dissipate... Never got to the intended target, but at least another victim was spared.

Seikou slams into the ground a short distance away. "I... messed up the attack... sorry..." he says quietly.

Variance wrenches his spear from the ground, gaze still locked on Vice. "It's not your fault, don't worry about it."

Vice looks over at the two hunters. "What a pathetic sight, how can you call yourselves hunters?"

Seikou raises himself to his knees. "...Don't lump Vari in with me... I'm worthless..."

Vice says ' You are, but only because you fight it. Give in to it, let it take over, end the pain, end YOUR suffering.'

Seikou shakes his head. "I will -DIE- before I surrender to the virus!"

Vice says ' I have my plans for you, which means you must live. As for your friend, that's another story.'

Variance takes a few more steadying breaths, trying to recover from the previous burst of mental exertion, eyes still trained on Vice. "You're not laying another hand on him!"

Seikou climbs to his feet slowly, leaning on his staff more than before, and walks so that he's in front of Vari. "You will have to kill me to get to him." He turns around. "Run, Variance..."

Vice says ' You're fighting so hard to protect each other, while the other towns have no protection. You've failed your job as hunters.'

"I haven't run before, and I'm not going to now." Variance's voice comes quiet, with an obvious tone of determination. "Besides, you're the one he's after, -and- you're injured."

Seikou shakes his head. "That's because we have no staff!"

Vice says ' WRONG ANSWER!'

Vice grabs the last energy kunai, and flings it at Variance's neck.

Seikou has no time to do a dramtic staff block, and instead dives in the way, taking it in his chest. "AGH!"

Seikou lands on the ground, eyes closed, last of the energy spent.

Vice says ' Now there's one last thing left to do and my mission is done.'

Variance just stands for a moment, staring at the yet-again incapacitated Seikou... That's twice. Twice he's taken a blow in his place... Then, something in him, something that usually keeps him rational, snaps.

You say '...Mavericks... It's always the Mavericks...'

Variance tightens his grip on his weapon, looking back to Vice, expression that of unevenly mixed anger and concern, the balance between them breaking as he lunges forward. "DAMN YOU!"

Vice looks over to Variance. "This is once again, your fault. You failed because you lack power, you do not have what it takes to be strong."

Variance, currently lacking the capacity to hold himself back enough to get out a reply, simply throws a good portion of his weight into a single thrust towards Vice, aimed towards his midsection with a furied war cry.

Vice walks directly into the thrust, the blade pierces through his midsection.

Vice looks into Variance's eyes, a strange aura surrounds his body, glowing brighter by the second. The energy around him moves his hair away from the covered right eye. He stares into Variance's eyes once again. "You are weak, you are incapable of being strong."

Variance keeps the blade where it lies, despite the weapon shaking from the intensity of his grip. He stares straight into the eyes of his opponent, paying no mind to the few stray tears escaping from his now lessened guard.

You say 'You're wrong... I -can- be strong, and I -WILL- be strong! For this world, for humanity... -AND- for Seikou!'

Variance drives his spear deeper as emphesis, not recognizing its ineffectiveness.

You say 'NO ONE will hurt him again! EVER!'

Suddenly, the red aura engulfs the entire area of the square, Vice dashes over to Seikou and props him up on his shoulders.

Seikou barely manages to open his eyes, his staff still lying on the ground here he was. "...wha... what's going on...?"

Vice smirks at Variance. "I'll take good care of him."

Vice dashes out of the square with Seikou on his shoulders.

Variance straightens, eyes widened and taken aback, and turns around to see the one thing he couldn't bear to watch...

You say '...Sei...'

((Actually another RP, just in the same log because GoS goes by date. x.x))

Variance takes a few calculated steps, some forward, others back while going through routines he's memorized, swinging and spinning his spear in like motions. Step back, parry up, down, up, sidestep, -strike-...

He didn't feel the particular need to practice his unique form of mana manipulation at the moment, he was fluent enough in the art of slinging thunder and light. He wasn't called "Moonlight Variance" for nothing(even though a total of one person had dubbed him as such).

Someone says ' I see you have no confidence in yourself. You're training while your friend suffers in pain.'

Variance stops dead cold at the tail end of a particularly fierce thrust at the tall grass, though not shocked as one would usually be if someone had decided to speak up from apparently nowhere.

Someone deactivates his cloaking unit, slowly fading in, several feet away from Variance.

You say 'I'm simply passing time until I find where you're hiding him. I don't -train-.'

Variance lowers his weapon, still looking ahead instead of towards his previously unseen assailant. "And rest assured, I -will- find him."

Vice looks surprised at the hunter's comment. "Passing time...you seem very calm about the situation."

You say 'It's because I know I'll succeed. There's no reason to get excited over certainty.'

Vice laughs. "You have no idea, but you will soon find out. I assure you, the Seikou you once knew is long gone."

Variance reflexively tightens his grip on his weapon, gaze narrowing ever so slightly. "...He can overcome it. He has before."

Vice says ' You're forgetting one thing, YOU were there with him at the time.'

You say 'Then he'll come out of it when I free him from you.'

Vice says ' I've been looking for someone with promising power, and yet when I found him, he's a hunter? You fed him useless information about friendship and protecting humanity.'

"And what's so useless about that?" Variance finally turns to face Vice, still quite calm. "It was his choice to follow that advice, no one forced him to throw himself to the lions for the sake of the greater good."

Vice says ' He will never be free, even if you manage to get ahold of him. The virus will consume him, and along the way, you'll see him suffer. And in the end...you'll have to take his life. That is your duty as a hunter, that is, if you can kill him.'

Vice says ' He is no different from me.'

Variance fails to keep himself from pulling into a defiant scowl, still staring into Vice's... er... eye. "He -is- different, and the Virus -can- be eliminated. We'll find a way."

Vice says ' You are far too naive.'

Vice says ' I will show you...what the virus is truly like.'

Vice looks down at the ground, a dark black aura is emitting from his body, swarming all around. "This is what he probably feels now..."

Vice says ' He's fighting the darkness that's after him, the darkness he's run away from before.'

You say 'Fighting... which implies that someone wins in the end, and that's going to be Seikou. He has the willpower, and he has a reason to fight back. That's all he needs.'

Vice says ' You've witnessed the true form of the virus, 2 days ago at the square.'

Vice says ' His willpower will die soon.'

Variance starts to retort, but stops himself, scowl graduating into a full-on glare. He hated to admit, but he -does- have a point. Worthless... he was calling himself worthless. Obviously not a great deal of self-esteem.

Vice says ' You don't understand his pain, his suffering. What would a reploid like you, who's never murdered a single being understand?'

You say '...I may not understand his suffering, and I may not have murdered anyone... But I know that Seikou has a chance to rid himself of the source of his pain, and I'm going to be right there beside him to help.'

Vice says ' ...I'll make you understand.'

The dark cloudy aura around Vice's body is swallowed by another aura, the same red aura from the square. It swarms around his body, expanding more and more by the second.

Vice slowly walks towards Variance, while the aura is continuing to swarm around the fields.

Variance takes a cautionary step back, raising his weapon again. He rouses an aura of his own, though not nearly as overpowering as the crimson mass dominating the field...

Vice slowly picks up his pace, now begining to run towards Variance, he sticks out his right hand and aims it towards his neck.

Variance stands his ground for a few more moments, then just as Vice comes mere inches from making contact, he slides to the left, trying to catch the thinner part of Vice's arm in his spear's hook and throw him off balance.

Vice is thrown off balance due to the hook pulling on his right arm, but as he falls forward, he activates the booster equipped on his left leg, performing a short dash, he extends his left arm and grabs ahold of Variance's neck, bringing him down to the ground.

Variance lets out a surprised noise of some kind, the softly wavering grasses slightly breaking his fall. He struggles vainly for a moment to weaken Vice's grip on his neck, then remembers his charge and decides to channel it into a point-blank bolt of lightning, its target obvious.

Vice is surrounded by the surge of electric current, his grip weakens slightly, but the crimson colored aura seems to be gathering to his left hand. His grip tightens once again and the aura swarms all around Variance's neck.

Variance still puts up a fair struggle, despite partially frying himself in his previous attempt to get free, but his struggles soon slow. His expression does a full one-eighty, from desperation to bewildered calm... Why did it feel -good-?

Vice continues to choke him as the aura around his left hand begins to fade. Releasing his grip from Variance's neck, he stands up.

Vice says ' You will feel Seikou's pain, my pain, OUR pain...soon.'

Variance scrambles to stand as soon as he's freed, holding his spear in front of him defensively, eyes still wide in confusion and shock. Every word he tries to find fleets before it can be voiced...

Vice says ' The pain you will feel is nothing compared to us, it will only be physical pain. Let's see if you can endure it.'

Variance remains speechless, weapon slowly lowering as he tries to comprehend the events of the last two minutes. What could he mean by that...?

Vice walks towards a nearby tree, he leans on it to rest, while still keeping an eye on Variance.

Variance starts to surface from his befuddled trance, starts to say something, but a sudden sharp pain cuts him off. A sort of burning sensation; faint, but obvious where the aura had swirled around Vice's grip... What in the world...?

Vice smirks while looking at Variance. "Painful isn't it?"

Variance gently rubs the affected area, still quiet. He isn't in any condition to make a wisened, possibly snide reply(thankfully, for Vice's temper), absolute confusion reigns over his mind more than the ability to speak.

Vice says ' Perhaps we should speed up the process.'

The crimson aura that still surrounds Vice, slowly starts to move towards you, inching closer and closer to the same region he's had the grip on his neck.

Variance takes a few bewildered steps back, just watching the aura approach. Not like he could do anything, even with his abilities and knowledge... Maybe he didn't know as much about the Virus as he hoped he did.

Vice looks on as the aura slowly rises to Variance's neck, it begins to swirl around his body and rises towards his neck, and gradually shrinks around it, as if it were choking him.

Variance tries to get something out, but doesn't do too well, what with the rapidly-shrinking red ring constricting his neck. He futilely tries to grasp it, somehow pull it off, dropping his spear in order to hopefully get a better non-existant grip on it.

Vice looks on to the struggling reploid, but suddenly the crimson aura dies down, being drawn back by the dark cloudy aura.

Variance heaves a breath inwards as soon as the ring fades, falling to his knees from the sudden exhaustion and trying to regain what breath he couldn't intake before. -That- was a barrel o' fun...

A huge gust of wind rises from beneath Vice, lifting his blood red hair, revealing the eye no one lives to tell about once it's seen. Both eyes stare at you, one looking sympathetic, while the other looks enraged.

Variance looks up from recovering, staring into those eyes... The same, but completely different at once... Just one thing after another.

Vice stands completely still while the two auras swirl and clash with each other around his body.

Variance takes his polearm, pushing himself up with it while still looking at Vice. No words came to him, nor did they need to. Nothing needed to be said, not now...

Vice says ' Interruptions...why must you constantly come back? What is it about this reploid that you want to protect so much?'

Vice looks at Variance and takes a few steps forward. "This is the result of the virus, I constantly struggled before, but it consumed me comple...ARG ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!"

Variance just watches Vice struggle with himself, taking a step back for every one the other advanced. Multiple personalities... it can do that?

Vice says ' You will constantly be attacked by the pain you've felt earlier, only it'll grow stronger everyday and the pain will become unbearable.'

Vice says ' What you've just seen was the former soon to be Maverick Hunter, commander of 0 unit, Vice. Like Seikou, I was once destined to be a hunter, but that is no longer my mission.'

Vice says ' You'll never understand us, leave Seikou alone. I will take care of him, and when the time comes you two will cross paths once again.'

Vice activates his cloaking unit and fades out, leaving the confused Variance behind.