Pieces of Treasure

"...You are getting there. You and Iyuki have a nice home, which you have to show me soon. You are together and happy...You go on dates and love each other. It sounds really normal to me. A cozy and happy life." Aoi smiled up at Muika as she pulled back from the small hug. "Only a few things stand between you and it, things that sound like they'll be gone soon. Seiya...will never stop. Not while he's alive. He has...to die."

"...I-I know he does, I..I want him to..."

She knew Seiya needed to die, she knew she didn't have the ability to do so anymore...

He'd be gone, just like that...it would be a relief, a huge one; she couldn't let...let the choice, or even Seiya himself...intimidate her anymore. If she wanted to start living without that threat...then actions needed to be taken...

"Can I then? For you and Iyuki? I would like to be the one to end things." Aoi bowed, formally with her arm across her chest in a respectful salute. It was Muika's choice, Muika's will and Muika's life. Aoi was merely helping her with something that needed doing. Muika's pain...

None of it could be forgotten in this situation. She had been the one hurt and damaged so she had to be the one to pick. Aoi couldn't take that from her as well no matter how much she wanted to. So much else had been.

Muika blinked, averting her eyes momentarily before they returned...and then averted again. It was obvious she was nervous about this, her nerves weighing on her with this decision. It...

She attempted to think of all the good that would come from it, trying to compose herself; she was actually glad no one else was around...or she'd probably look like some girl standing around having some sort of nervous attack...

Her hand across her to grasp the sleeve covering her other arm, holding it in a tight grip.

"...Tell me when it's done."

Aoi rose and nodded solemnly, accepting this in Muika's place. She'd be her stand in. She'd make sure he HURT. A deliciously evil smile came across the normally playful and sweet face, those eyes turning dark. She laughed lightly and waved her fingers before disappearing.

She had a date~

Aoi shouldn't be late for dates~ So she headed right back to Seiya, hoping to find him in his office. She had a few ideas...

Muika stood in place for a bit longer, even after Aoi had left; she realized...what she'd just done. What she'd just given permission to do...

Swallowing a breath, she began walking again, but before she knew it she was running home.


Annoying, even the tea was hardly helping...what with his work and all. The cup sat off to the side, the drink half gone as he worked on filing some reports.

Aoi stepped through the glass, watching Seiya at his desk. She wondered... how she could do this? Well first she needed to let him know the verdict.

Moving to the desk, she shifted the paper he was working out out, before slamming a glovedhand into his body. For the third and final time in his miserably short life, the man would be standing outside of his body while it smacked to the desk.

Aoi looked positively like a shark, eyeing a yummy fish.. "Any final words? Requests? You're gonna get to watch like this... that way no one hears the screams."

Before Seiya knew it, he had once again been thrown from his body. A hard wince escaped him at the feeling, damn woman...

What the hell did she want now?

His eyes narrowed into a glare at her words, his hand having come up to his chest where that chain was. It was difficult the breath. What the hell was she saying...she couldn't have possibly...

Aoi blinked and spun her hand in a circle, the sign to hurry it up. "Muika wants a normal, happy life. Between Aito's savior and her new brother in law, your group is being dismantled... So she needs you dead. You'd never give up on her otherwise."

"I'll repeat for the hard of hearing~ Requests? Last Words?" Aoi moved to the man's body, lifting it as she carried it to the middle of the floor and set it down. She walked over to the door, locking it. No one needed to interrupt~

Perhaps...fear was something he should be feeling as the woman basically gave him his death sentence, but...he was angry. Anger seeming to be the go-to emotion when it came to such things.

His eyes showed that even if someone might not think his face was.

Final requests? He wasn't so petty as to beg for his life...

Pulling her Zanpakuto from her shirt, it extended and the blades popped out of both ends. Aoi started moving furniture. She had ideas... Good ideas. The best ideas...

Looking into Seiya's eyes, she noted the anger and she raised an eyebrow. "You'll break soon enough~ Let play a little game, how much blood can you lose before you die OR your chain of fate erodes! It'll be fun for everyone who matters."

-------------------

A while later, Aoi hummed a happy tune as she painted on the window of Seiya's office. There was a smiley face near the top, the blood drying rather quickly. She had made a makeshift brush out of part of her sleeve, her forearm bare now up to the elbow. Her clothes were soaked in the blood. The body was laying on its desk, the soul sent to the gates of hell as she had figured would happen when she passed it on.

Now though, she had finished in a rather nice calligraphy work, if she thought so herself, "CHILDREN KILLERS GO TO HELL" written in Seiya's own blood.

The rag was drying, so she moved back over to the body, leaving bloody tracks all over the floor and drips. She had knelt for a bit in it... she was soaked and even her face was smeared with the blood.

Soaking the scrap again, she moved to the window and finished her childish drawing of what she felt the doors to hell looked like.

Stepping back, she smiled. "A job well done."

Now she had to find Muika and then Rin~ Looking back at the room that reeked of blood, she shrugged before unlocking the door. People had knocked a few times but none had entered. A bloody handprint and steps led to it before heading to the window, where she stepped out.

Now where was Muika?

[It's done. Do you want me to stop by? I'm a bit messy. You might not want this in your house.]

[You don 't ne e d to. It' s fine. Thank y ou.]

The text had been a bit...messy, but it'd taken a while before she could type it in the first place. Just with that message she felt...drained, and she was lucky she was lying in bed. Iyuki would be home soon, that...that would be good...really good...

She could admit to herself she probably needed him right now, but, she wasn't going to just make him come home quicker because of this. He would be back soon anyway...

Aoi sighed. Muika...was understandably upset.

[Kay. Cuddle him lots and get comfort and love.]

She gave the woman a quick reply, hopefully she would get what she needed from Iyuki. Aoi's job was done. Switching over to other messages, she sent Rin a quick one.

[Rin? You should go outside your house, I don't wanna stain things.]

Aoi then headed off to the man's house, it wouldn't take her too long so hopefully he could go outside for her.

Rin blinked at the message. Stain his...

First she asked him to not get mad about news and now she was worried about staining things? What...Was it the staining that might make him mad...?

[I'll meet you outside.]

Sending her that quick message, Rin pocketed his phone and stood from his desk. He'd head outside and meet Aoi outside then and...listen to what news she had to give, his curiosity reaching its peak at this point.

Aoi reached the outside of his house before he did, standing there on the grass near the woods. She kicked at the dirt, looking rather sheepish... She wondered... How mad he'd be about her not telling him about her promotion...

Not thinking about her appearance, she hummed a small tune. Her bare legs were soaked in drying blood, her miniskirt and up the front of the uniform just as much. Her chest, neck and face had smears and splotches of it. Her Haori from the waist down was soaked and dripped. The top part was slowly soaking from the bottom parts, more faded red at top.

The right arm of her uniform was missing, her bare arm covered in blood as much as the sleeve on the other that dripped it. Her hair seemed mostly untouched other than spots.

She was happy to see Rin, excited even though she was also nervous.

Rin had to stop dead in his tracks as he finally came face to face with Aoi. That...What...

"Aoi? What happened!?" Clearly, he hadn't realized that it wasn't her blood that was on her. "You're alright, right!?" He questioned, immediately closing that last bit of distance between them.

Aoi hadn't realized until she had seen him and heard his voice how much she had missed him. A few days made all the difference...

"Rin!" Aoi called his name happily and ran to Rin, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a hug. She had missed him something fierce and all her worry just faded. "I'm fine, this is someone else's. I missed you a lot. Its been a busy few days... Sorry I've been gone..."

It wasn't...her blood...

Perhaps it wasn't...right of him exactly, but he couldn't help but feel obviously relieved at hearing that. Though...with her pressed against him now he could feel some of that still wet blood soaking lightly through his clothing. Regardless, his hand came up to her head, while the other moved around her shoulders.

"I'm relieved to hear it's not yours and that you're alright...I've really missed you too." He replied, before shaking his head lightly. "You've been busy, it's alright. Your work is important...ah...do you want...to use my shower or something? For the blood?"

Aoi buried her face in Rin's chest, snuggling close and smiling even if he couldn't see. Her muffled voice sounded softly. "No worries for the worry wart. I wasn't hurt other than by my own hand."

Feeling his head shake, she felt a bit guilty but she was enjoying the hug. "A hose would work...better... Otherwise the blood will get all over when I enter the house. Mm, its about work that I have to talk to you about okay?"

"A hose? There's one just out back, I could send it over the fence around the pool's area in case you're worried about getting blood on the pavement..." Rin replied. "It's long enough."

The reason she'd needed to talk to him was about work? He gave a small nod at that, "Alright, we can talk about it when you've rinsed off, or while you do so..." His fingers teased her hair a bit as he spoke; what about work might make him angry though?

"I would prefer to not get blood everywhere else, so please? I left a lot of it in Seiya's office though!" Aoi lifted her head, having gotten a bit of her fill of smelling Rin. He smelled like home so she liked to breathe it in when she was gone for a while...

It seems he wanted to wait to talk and she nodded and closed her eyes. He was playing with her hair, she leaned a bit towards that kind hand and smiled. "That's fine... I feel better just being here..."

Seiya...that name rang a bell...wait, that was the one that terrorized Muika, and Aoi had hate-kissed. So he was dead now....? Well, it wasn't really a loss.

With her "okay" he led her towards the area where she could stand, and he quickly moved to heft the hose over the gate, turning it on so she could rinse the blood off. He'd...now that he thought about it these clothes might be done for...

Good thing he had plenty of clothes...

Aoi stripped as Rin hefted the hose over, laying her clothes out on the ground. The Haori would need real washing... but the rest would be fine. Peeling the soaked layers all off finally, she took the running hose and watered herself from the head down with a strong shiver. "Th-Thank you Rin..."

Cold! The blood, drying or otherwise, rinsed off in a pink wash while she moved the hose after a moment to the clothing. The blood didn't show up on the black clothes and surprisingly rinsed off well on the white. It seems they made the captain's haoris out of good material! Shivering even in the heat of the day, she held it up as it was the most important to get a bit clean, and turned it around to make sure to get as much out as possible.

"I hope they don't get mad if it stains the first couple of days..."

"Welcome." Rin replied, moving to where he could look over the fence at Aoi. "Sorry, I know the water's probably pretty cold..."

If she had the time he would have offered to let her come inside after to warm up in some blankets or something, but the summer sun should help given some time as well. "Are things alright? You asked me not to get angry..."

"I am fine, no worries." Aoi shot Rin a brave smile. Cold water was nothing to a woman who died in the ocean!

Yeah!

She still shivered as she ran the water through the clothes until they ran clear, waiting a few moments before replying to Rin. Her brave smile was replaced by a sheepish one. "I uh... got promoted. I'm the Captain of the Vanguards now! Hehe... I don't...actually work in the human world anymore..."