Kayoko stumbled back away from Mimura, gun in hand, though she remained off balance. However, before she could settle her footing, she caught sight of movement at the edge of her vision. Seto was raising his own gun.
There wasn’t time to consider, only time for action.
Raising the pistol and pointing it directly at the boy, she squeezed the trigger and found it more sensitive than she would have expected. In the same moment, she pulled twice more.
Her legs felt like the roots of a great tree, dug deep into the ground. Still, she only remained in place long enough to see the bullets arrive at their respective destinations. Then her whole body moved as one, turning directly away from Seto and driving forward.
And Kayoko ran.
((Kayoko Kotohiki continued elsewhere...))
Stood Up
Moderator: BRAU2 Director
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Catche Jagger
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MurderWeasel
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Something had been wrong from the start. Shinji had had a feeling that something was off, but he'd been on the wrong track. He'd thought Kotohiki was unreliable, shaky and prone to panic, but not dangerous. He'd expected the harm to the group to come in the form of dissent sewn among their numbers, of having to talk Yutaka around.
How he wished that was all it was.
When Shinji had failed to immediately retrieve the gun, he'd jerked to the side, just in case. At the same moment, Yutaka had proven his bravery by trying to intervene, but the boy was too slow, not suited for such things. By the time gunshots rang out, there was nothing that could be done.
Kotohiki fled. Shinji looked between her and his friend, and thought for only a split second before rushing to the boy's side.
"Yutaka," he said, "Yutaka, hang on."
Shinji knew about a lot of things, but medicine definitely wasn't his specialty. Still, he jerked his head around, looking for someone to help. Was Oda still here?
"We need bandages, or, or tape or something. Pressure. Quickly."
How he wished that was all it was.
When Shinji had failed to immediately retrieve the gun, he'd jerked to the side, just in case. At the same moment, Yutaka had proven his bravery by trying to intervene, but the boy was too slow, not suited for such things. By the time gunshots rang out, there was nothing that could be done.
Kotohiki fled. Shinji looked between her and his friend, and thought for only a split second before rushing to the boy's side.
"Yutaka," he said, "Yutaka, hang on."
Shinji knew about a lot of things, but medicine definitely wasn't his specialty. Still, he jerked his head around, looking for someone to help. Was Oda still here?
"We need bandages, or, or tape or something. Pressure. Quickly."
Yutaka didn't know what happened at first. He felt feint, light perhaps. Weightless.
Then the three, searing hot projectiles hit him. Two chest, one abdomen. Ow. Ouch. Fuck-ow-OW-FUCK-!
"Shinji, I'm sorry!" is what Yutaka wanted to say, but it came out in a fading scream, more an exhale of breath.
But Setos life was barely clinging on at this point, and it wasn't long before he'd slip further. Pressure, bandages. Quickly. Yutaka didn't have the strength to stop them. He just wanted to...close his eyes for a bit.
And the life left him.
Then the three, searing hot projectiles hit him. Two chest, one abdomen. Ow. Ouch. Fuck-ow-OW-FUCK-!
"Shinji, I'm sorry!" is what Yutaka wanted to say, but it came out in a fading scream, more an exhale of breath.
But Setos life was barely clinging on at this point, and it wasn't long before he'd slip further. Pressure, bandages. Quickly. Yutaka didn't have the strength to stop them. He just wanted to...close his eyes for a bit.
And the life left him.
Ah, the dumpster. Old, redoubtable companion. You, at least, have never played Toshinori false.
After scrambling for cover, Toshinori took the window of opportunity when bullets were no longer flying through the air to slip out of the back end of the alleyway. That was... against expectations, yes, against expectations. His choice to back away the moment Kotohiki sprang for a weapon had proven to be prudent, but one person with no gun should not have been able to spring any manner of surprise on three people with two guns.
Honestly! How foolish could you get, to not protect your firearm? Toshinori personally would rank that as a foremost priority. There was no advantage to be held with a weapon if one couldn't exert some basic care and avoid getting it snatched from one's hands. As far as he was concerned, this was entirely Mimura's fault. If he was even alive.
That brought Toshinori's condemnations to a screeching halt. Mimura and Seto could both have already been slain. It was more disquieting a thought than he expected.
Well, it would do him no harm to simply check. That was reasonable enough. The gunfire had ceased, so Kotohiki must have absconded. There would be relative safety.
He slipped back around the houses and all the way into the side of the alley opposite to that which he'd left. Mimura was crouched alongside Seto. A...ah.
Toshinori did not know how to handle this situation.
He cleared his throat.
After scrambling for cover, Toshinori took the window of opportunity when bullets were no longer flying through the air to slip out of the back end of the alleyway. That was... against expectations, yes, against expectations. His choice to back away the moment Kotohiki sprang for a weapon had proven to be prudent, but one person with no gun should not have been able to spring any manner of surprise on three people with two guns.
Honestly! How foolish could you get, to not protect your firearm? Toshinori personally would rank that as a foremost priority. There was no advantage to be held with a weapon if one couldn't exert some basic care and avoid getting it snatched from one's hands. As far as he was concerned, this was entirely Mimura's fault. If he was even alive.
That brought Toshinori's condemnations to a screeching halt. Mimura and Seto could both have already been slain. It was more disquieting a thought than he expected.
Well, it would do him no harm to simply check. That was reasonable enough. The gunfire had ceased, so Kotohiki must have absconded. There would be relative safety.
He slipped back around the houses and all the way into the side of the alley opposite to that which he'd left. Mimura was crouched alongside Seto. A...ah.
Toshinori did not know how to handle this situation.
He cleared his throat.
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MurderWeasel
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Oda wasn't there, and then he was.
Yutaka was there, and then he wasn't.
It didn't matter that there were no bandages. All the pressure Shinji tried to apply came to nothing, but it felt like something was pushing down on him with a thousand times more force than he could wield, enough to press him flat and grind his cheek into the floorboards. That was the only way he could experience it, really. He didn't have a lot of words for emotions, not like this at least. Yutaka would've maybe known how to describe it.
If there had been something Shinji was working on, something to do to keep his focus centered, a desperate need for him to carry on, then he could've pushed it aside for now. But there wasn't.
It was not the first time that Shinji Mimura had encountered death, of course, and not even the first time that somebody fundamental to his life had died. They said that his uncle had perished in an electrical accident, but Shinji knew that wasn't true. The earring he wore felt cold now, but not as cold as when he'd picked it from the body.
It just seemed impossible, that someone who had always been there like that could then be gone. Every day of his life, his uncle had existed, and then he didn't, and Shinji didn't grieve in the traditional way but he still talked to the man and he still could bring up answers in his voice. Maybe that was as close to an afterlife as there was.
There was a part of him that really wanted to turn on Oda for this. Self-righteous, cowardly, arrogant little toad that he was, he'd done nothing to save Yutaka. He'd done nothing to stop Kotohiki.
But Shinji hadn't either.
He thought: what do I do now, Yutaka? And just like with his uncle, Shinji knew what Yutaka would say, and what he would want. And unlike Shinji's uncle, it wouldn't always be the right answer, but it wouldn't always be the wrong one either.
The Luger was gone with Kotohiki, but Shinji spent a few seconds pawing through Yutaka's bag, feeling terrible but knowing his friend would want him to have this. Yutaka would want them all to have the best chance they could.
The revolver was called a Smith & Wesson Model 19, and it looked like something a cowboy or a detective would use. It had seemed almost comical in Yutaka's hands, but it fit Shinji's just fine.
"Well," he said, standing up and raising his left hand halfway to his face before letting it fall back down again. Was Oda even still behind him? Shinji meant to say something that made sense, but there wasn't anything coming to mind about Yutaka himself.
"...we shouldn't stay here. Who knows what the gunfire will attract?"
((Shinji Mimura continued in OMG))
Yutaka was there, and then he wasn't.
It didn't matter that there were no bandages. All the pressure Shinji tried to apply came to nothing, but it felt like something was pushing down on him with a thousand times more force than he could wield, enough to press him flat and grind his cheek into the floorboards. That was the only way he could experience it, really. He didn't have a lot of words for emotions, not like this at least. Yutaka would've maybe known how to describe it.
If there had been something Shinji was working on, something to do to keep his focus centered, a desperate need for him to carry on, then he could've pushed it aside for now. But there wasn't.
It was not the first time that Shinji Mimura had encountered death, of course, and not even the first time that somebody fundamental to his life had died. They said that his uncle had perished in an electrical accident, but Shinji knew that wasn't true. The earring he wore felt cold now, but not as cold as when he'd picked it from the body.
It just seemed impossible, that someone who had always been there like that could then be gone. Every day of his life, his uncle had existed, and then he didn't, and Shinji didn't grieve in the traditional way but he still talked to the man and he still could bring up answers in his voice. Maybe that was as close to an afterlife as there was.
There was a part of him that really wanted to turn on Oda for this. Self-righteous, cowardly, arrogant little toad that he was, he'd done nothing to save Yutaka. He'd done nothing to stop Kotohiki.
But Shinji hadn't either.
He thought: what do I do now, Yutaka? And just like with his uncle, Shinji knew what Yutaka would say, and what he would want. And unlike Shinji's uncle, it wouldn't always be the right answer, but it wouldn't always be the wrong one either.
The Luger was gone with Kotohiki, but Shinji spent a few seconds pawing through Yutaka's bag, feeling terrible but knowing his friend would want him to have this. Yutaka would want them all to have the best chance they could.
The revolver was called a Smith & Wesson Model 19, and it looked like something a cowboy or a detective would use. It had seemed almost comical in Yutaka's hands, but it fit Shinji's just fine.
"Well," he said, standing up and raising his left hand halfway to his face before letting it fall back down again. Was Oda even still behind him? Shinji meant to say something that made sense, but there wasn't anything coming to mind about Yutaka himself.
"...we shouldn't stay here. Who knows what the gunfire will attract?"
((Shinji Mimura continued in OMG))
Toshinori welcomed what was for once some straightforward logic, and departed alongside Mimura.
(continued elsewhere)
(continued elsewhere)