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[closed]
WHO: Sakura Matou and Byakuya Kirigiri, later Kei Shiragaki and Rin Tohsaka
WHERE: The park, eventually Kei's house
WHEN: 4/6
WHAT: Sakura loses control of her powers and no one has a good time
WARNINGS: UH magical shenanigans
[Given the unmitigated disaster that Magatus was, Sakura has no business throwing herself back into her training so early. The trees had made it clear, hadn’t they? She’s in it for her ego as much as her friends, it’s just another angle to the same problem that’s plagued her as a child.
She knows. She freely admitted it. And right now, she also doesn’t care.
Forests will leave a bad taste in her mouth for a while yet and the shooting gallery hikes up her anxiety, so Sakura finds a secluded area in the park to practice with her bow and targets. The spray of projectiles hit the ground more often than not, proof that she’s not really paying attention.
Then it's late afternoon and she’s exhausted and jittery with frustration, pushing herself for no other reason than it seems a fitting punishment for her terrible performance. By this point the underside of her left arm is a swatch of bruising from chaffing against the bowstring. Only when she stops and rests for longer than 30 seconds, long enough to hear the thumping being drilled into her temples, does pain finally convince her to drop the bow.
And she drops too, huddled with her chin over her knees and trying not to cry at how hopeless it all seems.]
WHERE: The park, eventually Kei's house
WHEN: 4/6
WHAT: Sakura loses control of her powers and no one has a good time
WARNINGS: UH magical shenanigans
[Given the unmitigated disaster that Magatus was, Sakura has no business throwing herself back into her training so early. The trees had made it clear, hadn’t they? She’s in it for her ego as much as her friends, it’s just another angle to the same problem that’s plagued her as a child.
She knows. She freely admitted it. And right now, she also doesn’t care.
Forests will leave a bad taste in her mouth for a while yet and the shooting gallery hikes up her anxiety, so Sakura finds a secluded area in the park to practice with her bow and targets. The spray of projectiles hit the ground more often than not, proof that she’s not really paying attention.
Then it's late afternoon and she’s exhausted and jittery with frustration, pushing herself for no other reason than it seems a fitting punishment for her terrible performance. By this point the underside of her left arm is a swatch of bruising from chaffing against the bowstring. Only when she stops and rests for longer than 30 seconds, long enough to hear the thumping being drilled into her temples, does pain finally convince her to drop the bow.
And she drops too, huddled with her chin over her knees and trying not to cry at how hopeless it all seems.]
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Eventually, he hears some noises from a secluded area of the park, and he warily approaches... only to find a familiar face.
He spots Sakura just after she's huddled on the ground, her bow dropped at her side.
Immediately, Byakuya is overwhelmed by concern and rushes forward with little thought but to check up on her.]
Sakura?! [He shouts out her name as he draws close!]
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That's all it's meant to be, a startled hitch followed by relief. It's just Byakuya, her mind recites, not a monster or a tree screaming abuse at her. One of her friends.
She's still reciting it by the time her hand drops back to her side, after shooting off a purple beam that quickly embeds itself into Byakuya's left thigh]
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Wh-what?!
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Oh.]
Byakuya-san?
[Staring blankly at his leg, Sakura says his name like he's the one with the answers here, not her, even as she feels the strange draw from him to her, like water flowing backwards through a straw. She's felt it once before.
Before the animal dried up like a husk.]
-- No. [At some point she's on her feet, and then time jumps, jumps to her dropping by Byakuya's side on her knees. Her hands over by the spear like she means to yank it out.] This isn't happening...
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Give me a moment. [Her voice doesn't waver, instead caught in a whisper as if she's begging one of them to believe it.] Just stay calm, I'll--
[She tries to touch it. Nothing -- nothing useful, just her hand numbing as it passes through the spear, but that doesn't make it go away like she'd banked on. It keeps pulsing in Byakuya's leg, draining him, and her fingers and nails suddenly dig into the meat of her arms when she briefly recoils]
It's... it's okay. [There's a roar against her eardrums, she doesn't hear what she says, or that's she's panting to keep the world from fading in her panic.] Let me think-- i-it's fine.
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All he can do is continue to lie there and wait. And trust in Sakura. He has to trust that she knows what she's doing.]
1/2
Her expression slowly wipes into surprise, unused to wishing for a miracle and the universe being kind enough to reply. The memory doesn't take long to play behind her eyes, either. It ends matter-of-fact, like a curtain drop. Maybe under less dire circumstances she'd mourn Sakura Matou's fate...
Breathing deep and jittery, she mutters to herself one last time, chancing a watery smile.] I can fix this.
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A quicker fanfare than what Byakuya received. She hits the ground a second later, and the spell that had been stealing her friend's mana disappears at once.]
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Byakuya immediately sits up, alarmed, and hovers over Sakura's form.]
Sakura? Sakura?! [He panics and quickly reaches for her wrist to check for a pulse.]
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...that said, uh.
Bzzt, bzzt.
Her pocket seems to be vibrating. Ringing, even! It's muffled by her clothing, but that's definitely some catchy ringtone punctuating the park's stillness.]
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But then he hears the ringing of her phone. There's a chance... Maybe whoever's calling can a help? There's no time for second guessing, so he carefully reaches towards the source of the noise to claim the phone! And then he'll be quick to accept the call.]
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—finally! Did you forget our dinner date? No sweat if you did, it's just the cashiers are looking at me like I got stood up or something.
[From her end, Rin lowers her cellphone briefly to stare at one thinking he's being discreet, sipping loudly at her soda. Stupid cashier; who has a real date at a fast food restaurant? Hm. Or maybe he's just getting impatient with her taking up a table, after ordering only a small fountain drink...]
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Something has happened to Sakura. Do you know anything about magic? [If the other person doesn't know anything about the app, she'll just brush off the conversation and he can move onto another solution. But if she does, then... well, hopefully she'll know of a solution.]
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—who is this? [It's not an answer to his question, but the cold voice brokers no nonsense.] You better tell me now, and what's wrong with her.
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I don't know what happened. She accidentally hit me with some sort of a magical spear, and then did... something that undid the effect on me and caused her to be struck by it instead. ...She's out cold.
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[Incredulous at first, her voice tapers off in quiet alarm. Rin... Rin doesn't know what to think about this. This isn't something she and Sakura have really talked about. Does this mean she—?
Worry about it later. Rin already has her bag slung across her shoulder, fingertips bracing against the restaurant's push door before she consciously recognizes getting up from her table.]
Is she bleeding? [He said it was magical, so she's not sure what to think.] How are the rest of her vitals?
[It's notable that after that brief pause, she no longer sounds surprised. Either Rin does indeed know something about magic as Byakuya had wondered, or she's accepted this very quickly.]
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[Byakuya says as he looks her over with a frown. He really hopes this person can be of some help with all the questions she's asking. Although, judging by how quickly she seems to have accepted it, maybe she does know something.
He does go on to describe the basic directions to find them in the park.]
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Byakuya will hear a soft whump followed by the slam of a car door as Rin cradles her cellphone between her neck and shoulder.]
Thanks. I'm on my way; that park isn't far from here.
[Sakura probably planned to walk from there to the restaurant after, she realizes. Maybe lost track of time. Rin feels something rough and angry in her chest, something thick like worry. Doesn't let it bleed into her voice.]
Keep monitoring her condition until I get there, and call me back if anything changes. I'll be there soon, okay? Watch out for a red convertible.
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Very good. [His tone is serious but with a hint of relief. She's on the way... Maybe she really can help.] I'll keep my eyes open.
[He'll then alternate his attention between overlooking Sakura and looking out for any signs of the car in question.]
Sorry for the delay
Because isn't this a familiar scenario? Sakura's hurt, and big sister has to sweep in yet again. Just switch out stabbing herself with a magical spear to being fished out of a river.
...a spear sounds several levels more alarming than an impromptu cold swim. At least Sakura was conscious when those fishermen rescued her from the river.
Taking a sharp turn, Rin honks her horn. Not at the driver in front of her, but to snap herself out of it. Convince herself it's determination and focus that has her clutching the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip, and not worry. She can work with one emotion better than the other right now.
It's a little less than five minutes later when Byakuya will spot her vehicle. It cruises slowly at first, as if the driver is searching for something or taking care not to miss a turn.
Given the hour, it's most likely the former. The car's headlights can only illuminate so much of the park at a time while still staying on asphalt.
Rin's about ready to give up out of frustration and drive up on to the grass anyways when she thinks she spies a human figure. Speeding up, she parks as close as she can get and rushes out of her car, leaving it on.]
Byakuya?
[That better be him, she thinks. As she gets closer, she's better able to make out his appearance she notes, even as her eyes are more sharply drawn to her sister on the ground. Dimly, she registers he looks sort of familiar.]
It's all good
He quickly begins waving her over towards them, nodding in confirmation of his identity.]
She's right here! [Byakuya declares. He wouldn't mind lifting and carrying her, but he's worried about accidentally making things worse when dealing with something he knows nothing about. First, he'll see if this woman can truly do anything for Sakura.]