I'll Endure Your Pain.

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[redhotlightning]

"I'll still trust it," Hideo plainly said with a shrug as he gave the wedged blade a glance behind him, still stuck in the crevice he carved among the rocks. He looked back at her, quirking one corner of his lips, "But I'll tell you what. I trust that you'll knock me out good when I snap because of that thing. Not that I think it's gonna happen, but whatever beef you've got with that saw, never let it get to me. And don't give me the whole 'I refuse to hurt you'.. if you're thinking about it."

He stopped himself from rambling when he saw that her canon made a reappearance and the other corner of his lips moved to form the smallest smile. Hideo spared no moment as he readied his own sword, planted his feet firmly on the ground as he crouched low. He felt the warm spark in his left eye and momentum manifested at the soles of his feet. He launched himself forward, internally refusing to marvel at the sudden speed and focus he was granted- what things the spark can do. He aimed the tip of his blade at her shoulder, never once blinking.

Hideo thrust the blade forward, hoping for blade to kiss flesh.

[redhotlightning]

hideo (;v;)

[redhotlightning]

He faked a blow to her side and plunged the blade against a sharp rock nearby. Hideo let go of the hilt, leaving the blade stuck against the crevice and it didn't move.

"You trust me and that's good enough," he said as his own sword materialized in his grip and resumed the spar. The King Saw was just a blade that thrummed with life- nothing more perhaps, but it didn't do anything in his grip that was against his intentions. He had no time to prove to Rock that the King Saw can be trusted, but he was focused on creating a better, more prepared version of himself should the time come sooner when they will face that horned lady again.

Knowing that Rock had come face to face with her at times before they met allowed him enough room to guess that the blade had unpredictable qualities to it- he knew not to act too insensitive, but he still liked doing things his way.

[redhotlightning]

"Ah," Hideo began as he slowly extracted his sword from the scabbard and the blade sang softly. He was looking at the reflection of his eyes on the clean edge, frowning a little bit as he continued, "I guess it'll take more effort to earn your trust." Not that he was upset because at this point he noticed the way she treated him when he held onto the King Saw- a loose canon, maybe.

But that was enough talk. He took a step back and lowered himself before thrusting himself forward, aiming the less sharp edge towards her shoulder.

He did propose a spar with no bars held, but he was holding himself back for some reason- as his loose grip on the hilt would show it.

[redhotlightning]

"I think you're confusing defending and sacrificing," Hideo grumbled as he let her hand go and looked at her earnestly through the dim blue lighting, "But if that's what defending means to you, I'm not buying it." He never once expressed a death wish- nor will he ever- for her and he was more than willing to keep on living. He was dead-set on living.

"Defending or not," he began as he raised the King Saw and it vibrated in his grip again before he swung it to cut the walls down in half surrounding the suspended house in the middle, "I'll need your hand at preparing for when the next time we meet that crazy lady again. She'll probably want this back, but I'm not about to give it up. I kinda like it." he said, weighing the weapon before setting it on the ground. He carved a moderately sized field with it, knowing that this may be the only place they can never be interrupted by anyone, leave alone her. He had seen her eye everywhere else besides this haven.

"No bars held," Hideo said as he took a step back for his own sword to materialize again. He lowered his stance and glance to the side for a moment, "Except for when we deliver a possible death-blow."

[redhotlightning]

"Things don't always work out in the end, don't they?" Hideo asked quietly, still going with the feeling in his gut that he should be the one protecting her, "I can't promise I'll end up without a scratch protecting you." Maybe this was his way of telling her that he loved her, because he really does, but he was still afraid of what she may be feeling inside. There was no mistaking that she just kissed him moments ago, but that can be purely gut instinct.

He looked at the crumbling sky above them, made a hesitant grab for her hand and used the King Saw to slice a piece of darkness in the thin air. Beyond was the way back to the house and Hideo guided her through with a gentle tug.

"Here's a proposal," he began with a hum as he let go and began the trudge back to the house, "How about we learn to work together to protect each other? Clearly neither of us are willing to stand aside, so why can't we just work with what we've got?" It was an instinct they shared in common, but he was willing to put up with compromise if it means they'll get a better chance against Black Gold Saw the next time they meet. Her blade, currently in his tight hold thrummed and vibrated as if to respond.

[redhotlightning]

The kiss was a reason maybe more than enough to accompany all that she had to say. He was frozen where he stood and his lips felt cold when she drew herself away from his face. Hideo kept his head bowed, but his eyes followed to wherever she was looking.

"Nor is it your's," he mumbled quietly, but with enough volume so that she can still hear him if she chooses to. His eyes drifted down to the scars she had on her rib, particularly the stitches and he internally winced. He can't really imagine what could've possibly caused those, what battle so significant that the scars stay as a painful reminder of a victory or loss.

"Your scars," Hideo began as he looked at his boots, "Make me stubborn." He let the propensity in him look at the stitches and constantly wonder what kind of pain she had experienced and who had inflicted those wounds onto her body. It leaves hatred and tightness in his chest just thinking about it because with her in front of him, he commends her for living. And he'd love to help her keep on living. "There isn't a quiet moment where I don't think about what you've been through when I see them."

Hideo's gloved hand came up, wanting to touch her face.

"Just let me protect you too," he said with the trace of a plea in his voice.

[redhotlightning]

He walked back to Rock with an iron grip on the king saw becaue he found himself wishing to get used to the faint thrumming sensations he can feel.

"You know," he began as he thrust the saw vertically onto the ground so it can stand on its own for a bit as he wrung his gloves, "For someone as cold as you are- the way you treat me proves otherwise." And he meant to point out her actions instead of what she had to say. Frankly, her blutness had kind of grown on him already and he was beyond pointing that out.

Frankly, he was confused. He knew to take only half of what she says into heart, but what of what she does? Is he suppose to take that half-heartedly too?

"What do you take me for, Rock?" he asked in a quiet voice as he approached her to the point their faces were only inches apart as his eyes looked into her's- looking for some sort of answer that's easy to understand. Then he asked in a very hushed voice, almost shaking in taking up in-credulousness, "Do I look so weak and vulnerable that you feel the need to keep telling me to step aside and let you handle things? You saw me take down a beast and fend against that woman-- Have I not gotten strong enough?

"Why protect me, Rock? What is it in me you see that I don't?"

[redhotlightning]

"I've handled her just fine," Hideo mumbled as he ran his hand through his hair and released a heavy sigh, "I intend to keep fighting her."

He let the howling sound of the winds pass by and the faint whistle that flanked him a few yards back reminded him that there was a giant blade that woman forgot to take with her.

"It's not that I don't think you're strong," he continued without looking at Rock as he approached the glowing red blade, "Fighting that woman just feels... right."

And he grabbed the saw's long hilt and felt the faint vibrations beginning to thrum the nerves of his arm, like it was urging him to pull it off the ground. And he obeyed cautiously as he watched his arm move on its own to free the blade. He watched it pulsate in a bright red glow like his eyes before seeing the fissure beneath where it had been wedged close shut. There was blackness in the mark it left before receding back to the pale gray soil. That woman used this blade to cut open voids, he noticed, and visit worlds.

"Hope she doesn't mind I'm stealing this," Hideo said with the smallest smile tugging at the corner of his lips, wringing the sword and unintentionally opening another portal- to which he had to step back from after flinching.

[redhotlightning]

There was a hint of frustration that came out of Hideo when he swiped his blade from her grasp and returned the blade that he borrowed. He looked around them, finding no sign of the lady or Rudra anywhere although the evidence of their combat was still present- the crater, the blood, some red hair tangled with the fingers of his gloves. He wrung his hand of the hair and his sword of the black blood, painting the pale ground a streak of the inky substance.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling, "If she can do that, then why toy with us?" The back of his mind indulged itself in assuming that he made that woman forget that she had the ability to escape- that, for a moment, he gave her the impression that there wasn't a way out of his grasp. But was it to survey him and Rock? He did notice the way her eyes would dart to everyone around her. But for what?

"Who is she?" Hideo asked through his teeth, painfully confused.

[redhotlightning]

After the exchange of swords, Hideo was pinned on the ground with the heavy blade of the woman who caught him under a straddle. Their blades grind again with the sound of flesh being pierced repeatedly in the background. Hideo took his turn to wrestle the woman and roll over. His eyes widened when he saw Rock stabbing Rudra repeatedly for a moment before his focus was brought back to horned woman beneath him. She struck him upwards at the chin with the heel of her gauntlet. Although he fell again on his back, Hideo was anticipating the fall when he leaped back onto his feet and ran for her. His right eye gleamed again and everything seemed to slow down.

Hideo watched the woman's swing happen so slowly that it bought him more than enough time to duck to the side with a parry. The force was enough to make her lose her grip of the saw. The gleam flickered and his surroundings seemed to blur back to what he was used to. The woman was about to scramble for her discarded saw, but Hideo already seized her by the hair and harshly tugged her back. His eyes were cruel when he ruthlessly punched her face with enough power to send her to the ground and produce a crater the size of her body. He turned his hold on Rock's sword and used the hilt to press against the woman's narrow throat. Her jaw lazed as her gauntlets found his face.

He exhaled, firmly planting his left knee on her right gauntlet and his right foot onto her left to cease her struggle. His left hand held her fistful of hair against the ground, holding her head still while he held onto Rock's blade and slowly pressed the hard metal against the tender part of her neck.

The tip bit her flesh, causing black droplets of blood to bubble through and pour to the ground. The woman flashed Hideo a glare before allowing herself to be absorbed through the ground until Rock's blade hit nothing but grey soil.

Arms protrude from the ground beneath Rudra and they wrap around him before taking him through the ground.

[redhotlightning]

“Better days, indeed,” Hideo said through his teeth as he quickly got back onto his feet, but his stance remained low and close to the ground. His sword materialized into his waiting grasp and he let out a sharp exhale before sprinting for the woman- she assaulted him earlier and he was going to finish whatever she started.

His red eyes glinted as he went after the horned lady, his sword clashing against her giant one, determined to get her as far away from Rock as possible- she needn’t be involved for all he knew. So the empty field’s silence was now filled with the clanging echoes of two swords clashing and slashing against each other.

Rudra was rising from the rubble and cracks that littered the misty ground and his faint gold eyes caught sight of Rock and Hideo. He grabbed for the shard of glass beside him, ignoring the feeling of the sharp edge biting his skin and making him bleed profusely- he didn’t care. He eased himself out of the ruins as quietly as he can without letting himself be noticed. All he wore was a hooded cloak that covered his naked body and it let him blend with his surroundings.

His bare feet padded silently on the ground as he made for the pig-tailed girl, his teeth gritting and the tip of the shard protruding from his cloak.

[sapphiircflame-a]

★  - She gave him no response to his comment- of course he had seen better. Rock watched as he lifted himself to his feet, Hearing the sound of him summoning his blade. Her eyes set on the woman- not thinking to look back at what she assumed was a carcass by this point.. even she could tell that he had a certain beef to pick with her… and so, She would stay out of the way, Until she deemed it necessary to show him how a real Otherself fights.. even Rock could partially read his body language- and she relied only on brute force in a battle most of the time.. so that made her rather predictable at some points.

She heard the sounds of steel clashing echoing through the air- piercing her ears and practically deafening her for a moment. It was a hassle.. but everything on their kind was amplified… minus the eyesight. However, Rock did make sure that she was within distance to get inbetween them if she so chose… she felt that she needed to look over her shoulder- but she was far too focused on keeping these two within her sight. She was much stronger than Hideo, Simply because of her experience here- and this woman was someone that she fought near constantly… she knew how to counter her if she got in the way, Unless she did something unpredictable.

She heard the rubble behind her- her eyes turning to face it briefly. She somehow missed the sight of Rudra rising as she assumed it was merely the wind or vibrations from the swords in front of her.. she didn’t feel safe, But the amount of running she did prior did partially exhaust her legs- so she chose to sit down briefly… she could get up fast enough, Anyways. - ★

[redhotlightning]

Hideo saw that he and this woman were far enough from Rock. He drove much of his focus now on her magenta eyes, he gauntlets and that giant blade he tried as much as to parry and dodge from. His thrusts and lunges were made for cutting, instead of stabbing- all because of that damned jagged edge she would use. The horned woman wrenched his sword from his grasp, grabbed him by the face with her gauntlet hand and slammed him to the ground like a rag doll.

All he saw was the glimmer of the woman's sword before he wasted no time in rolling to the side to avoid his face being cleaved in half. The blade was stuck in the crevice it created- and by the way the woman's posture froze and stuttered as she tried to wrestle the saw free, it was stuck there, good and deep. Hideo was on his stomach and he tilted his face up to look at Rock, only to suddenly have his eyes widen.

Rudra blended in the mist, but he can see the glimmer of a glass shard aimed for her back and he was approaching her.

"Rock!" he shouted as he stumbled for his feet and grabbed his discarded sword. Rudra perked and looked his direction before hasting. But it was enough time for Hideo to throw his sword like a javelin and stab Rudra through the hand holding the shard. The sound of glass shattering came before something heavy and wet hit the ground. Rudra was holding onto his right wrist- now a dripping stump. His off-gold eyes wore a glare as he scrambled for the sword.

[redhotlightning]

"Better days, indeed," Hideo said through his teeth as he quickly got back onto his feet, but his stance remained low and close to the ground. His sword materialized into his waiting grasp and he let out a sharp exhale before sprinting for the woman- she assaulted him earlier and he was going to finish whatever she started.

His red eyes glinted as he went after the horned lady, his sword clashing against her giant one, determined to get her as far away from Rock as possible- she needn't be involved for all he knew. So the empty field's silence was now filled with the clanging echoes of two swords clashing and slashing against each other.

Rudra was rising from the rubble and cracks that littered the misty ground and his faint gold eyes caught sight of Rock and Hideo. He grabbed for the shard of glass beside him, ignoring the feeling of the sharp edge biting his skin and making him bleed profusely- he didn't care. He eased himself out of the ruins as quietly as he can without letting himself be noticed. All he wore was a hooded cloak that covered his naked body and it let him blend with his surroundings.

His bare feet padded silently on the ground as he made for the pig-tailed girl, his teeth gritting and the tip of the shard protruding from his cloak.

[redhotlightning]

Perhaps he had been outmatched- or not.

Hideo's gun had materialized in his hand and he had used the bullets to his disposal against the beast. Every loud explosion and gunfire were not enough to mute his thoughts of planning to kill Cerberus and end the torment that should've disappeared long ago. He was here to make that a reality.

Dodging falling rubble and debris flung towards him, Hideo felt the temple crumble beneath their feets. And he slid down towards Cerberus, whose mouth dropped open, waiting to recieve his body. Hideo punched him, earning a large canine stuck to his left forearm- but that didn't stop him from grasping onto his sword and jammed its tip to the beast's chin. He never doubted the blade's sharp edge as he slid further and the edge cleaved the great Cerberus in half.

The giant body fell in two, causing a giant cloud of dust to erupt.

Rudra and his brothers had been wrenched free from the beast and they came after Hideo, shoving him into the void, where they foudght.

After flashes of color and glimpses of other worlds whipped by, the pair fell into another gray sky. Hideo's heart dropped when he saw the horned silhouette and magenta eyes.

"Rock," he rasped as he kicked Rudra off of him.

[redhotlightning]

Out of nowhere, a giant blade flew past Hideo, inches away from his cheek. The blade punctured the rubble behind him and he can feel the humming and the vibration from it. He looked at this sword and then to the direction it came from. Within an eye's blink, he saw the flash of a person with horns and long hair launch themselves towards him. He was quick to react and ducked to the side with his eyes suddenly wide as his body kicked itself into high gear. It didn't take for a long scrutiny to realize that the person's eyes before him were red, as well and that the mysterious blade seemed to react to her presence. Hideo's eyes narrowed and his head tilted slightly- a new habit.

There were no words exchanged, rather a pensive glance was given before an unexpected battle began. This woman had her gauntlets around Hideo's throat and tackled him towards the checkered ground, where both of their bodies merged through like water.

Down the shattered sky they fell and Hideo wrestled against her, his own blade grinding against her sword- producing sparks. He let himself be stabbed through the shoulder and he only winced slightly as he found the opportunity to seize her by the hair, elbow her at the nose and shove her below him with a kick. He only earned a grin from the horned woman as she disappeared in a slice of darkness. Her hot pink eyes were the last things he saw before he caught himself against familiar ruins.

Here, he returned and the monument of Rudra was only beginning to crack. He felt the need to call for Rock, so he looked at the sky from whence he came and realized it may be impossible down here. He is so far away.

[redhotlightning]

"A dream is only a dream if I forget half of it the moment I wake up," Hideo said and swallowed before getting up. He neared Rock's face with only a few inches of air holding them apart. His tear-welled eyes searched her sullen ones before he added quietly, "And I remember every single bit of it."

He strode down the hall like he never slept at all or have cried with his sword materializing in his grasp. He went for the house's front door, stopping on the way to give a glance at the picture of the girl he saw in his mind's eye before heading out. 

"Don't bother," he breathed, not at all hoping the blue-eyed girl can hear him or not as he watched the bridge before him thicken and strengthen- the bond was getting stronger by a bit. He chewed on his bottom lip as he strode for the darkness just ahead. He wasn't sure exactly if he knew where he was headed, but what he saw in his sleep tells him to head out and settle a personal slaying long forgotten.

The darkness embraced him and he was gone for a moment before being brought into the violent haven- his world. 

[redhotlightning]

Hideo's eyes remained fixed to his knees, and never once did they move even after hearing the same voice in his dream that spoke to him now- although lower, older, and soft. It took him a whole minute to come to terms what was real and what was in front of him before he finally looked towards Rock, who happened to be standing by the door. The look on her face was enough to tell him that she had been asleep too.

"It.. It wasn't..," He began, his voice a little grating from his shallow breathing. So he swallowed and took a deep breath before continuing, "It wasn't unpleasant." Hideo kept looking at her, remembering the flash of the image of the girl that looked just like her in his head.

"She held my hand," Hideo said in a soft sob although the tears have slowed and he looked at the hand that was held. There was a scar there, but the hand that girl held was unmarred and human and warm. His voice was now wistful and chokingly calm as he kept looking at Rock, ".. that girl. She looked a lot like you, y'know.

"And.. Kazuki," he said through his teeth. He didn't know who Kazuki was, but he assumed the eyes that he took belonged to that boy the girl called to and everything around them was--

"Beautiful," the male otherself muttered before biting his lower lip to keep it from quivering.