[ yukihira is indeed very, very strong. when his father talked about humans, takumi had always gotten the impression that they were weak--that no one could ever be as strong as him. after all, few humans had magic, and especially not the kind that takumi has. it snakes around his body as he moves, but takumi concentrates all of his energy into the way he holds his sword, and yukihira still holds him.
still taunts him, even. takumi sees red for a second, even if his cheeks flush because he insinuated he cared about something that little--! ] That doesn't matter! [ the nerve--!
he pushes forward a little further to try and give yukihira the push off to take him over. this close, he can see every fleck of golden brown in his eyes, the upturn of his mouth. he looks so soft and human, similar to the form takumi chose to take but different in so many ways. so...alive.
as a member of the family of the heavens, takumi wears a mask. it's their way of being 'blind', when in reality, he still has his sight, can still make out yukihira as easily as anything, but now he's really looking at him, trying to catch onto...whatever's in his soul that makes him so--whatever he is.
so human, something in his head says, with less derision than he might have felt the first time he came down to earth.
he leaps back, but pushes forward again, clanging their swords together again as yukihira holds him. ] Why won't you just give up--! You're not going to beat me!
[ or maybe takumi can't beat him. it's almost like they're an equal match. ]
[ Souma changes the angle of his sword when Takumi pulls back, getting a proper grip on the hilt in preparation for his attack, upright rather than downward. He doesn't dare yield any ground, because he isn't underestimating his opponent in the least. He never does, but in this case - it's different. Even with the mask, the way he can't see the face of his opponent, can't see his eyes, he knows from his movements that he's fighting with intent. With his all.
He respects that. And he doesn't dare hold back, either. Even if he wants to see the face that goes with that fighting style, almost like a dance. So he does the one thing he thinks is right, and he joins the dance, a give and take. ]
Why would I give up? [ All of the teasing aside, the natural banter, Souma is sincere in this question, sharp eyes softened when they widen. Everything about him is human, but that especially, genuine confusion despite the way he doesn't yield. ] Even if I can't beat you, I won't know if I give up. I'd rather lose and learn from it than just forfeit and gain nothing.
[ His hands twist, and he takes the flat of his blade to the flat of Aldini's, the sharpness back despite the way he still seems to be looking for an answer. He just needs to push his opponent's sword down between them, make him a little less lethal for even a second. ]
You're a human. [ takumi feels the familiar snap of the blade when they hit against each other, rattling a little in his hands in the best way possible. it feels electrifying, unfamiliar and familiar at the same time, different than sparring with his family members-- ] If you lose, you die.
[ and yet.
souma gets the upper hand on him, just for a second--his blade gets shoved down and takumi bristles, ready to defend himself immediately. what he gets instead, is an actual look at yukihira. at the wide eyed look he's giving him, the way his chest rises and falls and moves, so unbelievably human, these things that takumi's never had to do before.
the moonlight's long since fallen over them, and it falls across takumi's face where they stand in that brief little second, illuminating the bright, bright blue of his eyes. it's not long, but it might just be a second of a being instead of someone intent on defeating him, on killing him. ]
[ Feeling the vibration all the way up his arms, Souma is briefly thankful for his gloves, just because it softens the sensation a little. It doesn't make it any less obvious, and while his eyes are still rounded and softer with his curiosity and confusion, there's still that spark there from the fight itself. Even when he gets his answer. ]
That's true. [ Like the idea of death isn't that huge? He doesn't want to die, but that's just the truth of it, and confirmation that his opponent is taking this that far.
There's no move to attack as he holds their blades down, though he's prepared to deflect again if he makes another move to attack him. But when it doesn't come, he stares back at him, on point but more interested in the person behind the katana than he is in taking advantage of the lull in combat. Especially when he catches some color behind that mask, and he feels a lurch in his chest. But it's brief, and not enough.
So he braces his sword with his right hand, reaching out with his left to make an attempt to remove the mask. Souma knows, without a doubt, that he wants to see those blue eyes for real. Because in that moment, everything about him was human. ]
[ and the thing about it is that takumi doesn't stop him.
he could. one slice of his blade, a little magic, and he'd take yukihira's hand clean off. it'd be so easy to just end it, but there's something that holds takumi in place.
even as yukihira reaches out to grab his mask, takumi feels his heartbeat ratchet up a beat or two, and it has nothing to do with the adrenaline (he's immortal, he could fight for hours days weeks months if that's what it took). it has everything to do with this touch that's about to come, and for the first time ever, takumi's mask comes off in the presence of someone who isn't his younger brother.
pale skin, bright blue eyes, and soft blonde hair, his center bang falling back into place when the mask gets pulled away from him--takumi knows what his face looks like, but sometimes it's easy to forget. for the first time he's been down on earth, takumi feels a little bit... out of his element.
[ When his exposed fingers touch the mask, the cool, smooth surface of it, Souma pauses for a second before he curls his thumb around the chin so that he can pull it away. He doesn't drop it, and instead brings it closer to himself, cradling the face of it carefully in his gloved palm. He doesn't take his eyes off his face once it's revealed, taking him in with unbridled curiosity, tracking every feature and seemingly memorizing each one. The blue of his eyes looks so much brighter when they're not behind the emotionless facade of the mask.
Everything about him seems less other without the mask, even though there's still obviously something almost ethereal even in its absence. But everything suits him, suits his voice and his dance-like fighting style. ]
Wow. [ There's nothing intelligent for him to say, for a few seconds. Souma knows he's doing something very stupid, because Aldini is strong enough that he shouldn't try to fight him with only one hand. He shouldn't try to keep him held down with just one hand. But Yukihira Souma is nothing if not an idiot who acts on instinct, and his instincts right now say that there's nothing for him to worry about right now.
So he says the first damn thing that comes to his foolish mind: ] Why wear a mask when you look like this?
[ when takumi blinks, it's like the whole world comes into focus. it's not that he couldn't see before, but now he's seeing, seeing everything around him, seeing yukihira. the world of the humans bleeds into all of his senses when the mask is removed, the scent of the cool evening night, the feel of a breeze ruffling his kimono, and yukihira. this human warrior who was sent to take down the heavens, to rip his family apart.
wasn't he?
takumi's caught in this internal conflict for a moment, his hand still tight on his blade but not moving, rather like a startled cat. he stares at him with his blue eyes round, and then he goes and says something so--embarrassing.
takumi immediately flusters, his face going bright red, and the back of his neck starts to glow, just a little bit, heated up all over with the force of yukihira's words. he jerks back a little bit, embarrassed, but he doesn't attack him. ] Wh-wh-what the hell are you saying?!
[ Grip flexing on his sword, he jolts a little when Takumi jerks back. It's kind of - hilarious? When he reacts like that, but it's also really cute, because he turns so red, and his skin is so pale that it becomes really stark. Souma can't help but grin, a little rakish but offset by the lopsided way it's settled on his face, amused and a little stricken. Their fight is a little forgotten, in the face of this. ]
I mean, you're beautiful! I don't know what I was expecting under the mask, but it feels a little wrong for you to be wearing it when you could just be yourself. [ The words are still just as genuine, gold eyes bright and keen, watching him still. This is how he sees the world every day, full of possibilities and wondrous things, and now he gets to look at this person in it all, too.
Even if they were fighting before. He thinks that makes it even better, though, because there are three ways he knows how to learn more about people.
One, to fight them, even if it's just to spar. It tells you a lot about who they are. Two, to feed them or to eat their own cooking. Food will always reveal the truth in someone's heart.
Three, to hear their story.
Despite the fact Aldini Takumi was trying to take his head off earlier, Souma is curious what his favorite kind of food is and if he'd tell his story the same way he fights. ]
[ beautiful, what the hell. isami tells him that sometimes people down below say things like that about the stars--that they're awe inspiring, that they're beautiful. they live a certain kind of ethereal life in the heavens, but there's something about that compliment that embarrasses takumi far more than it has any right to.
he holds up his sword again from he stepped back, posture low to the ground and blade turned out towards him, but takumi doesn't move otherwise. (mostly because he's scarlet red and would probably drop his sword if he'd try.) ] I am myself. I'm--I'm a star, you're--[ hey wait ] I don't have to defend myself to you!!
[ the flustered color on his face has continued to grow, spreading all the way down his face at this point and starting to blotch down into his neck. at least he's not glowing yet. that's embarrassing. ]
Well, of course you don't. I don't see why you're trying, now. [ Souma's definitely amused, now, and his grin straightens a little as it widens. This is great. He's so cute and flustered, now, and while he doesn't really think much before he says things, he definitely teases with intent a lot of the time.
Rather than taking advantage of it, he lowers his sword when Takumi backs off. He doesn't sheath it - he's an idiot, but not a complete idiot - and instead he just stands at rest, relaxing his stance and continuing to hold his mask delicately so that it won't suffer any damage. He might not like it too much, compared to his actual face, but it's still his. ]
[ takumi catches onto the tease for what it is--he scoffs, embarrassed and flustered, but slowly his grip loosens a little and he lowers his sword as well. it's not that he trusts yukihira (that would be ridiculous), and he keeps it at the ready, but low and to his side.
he lifts his nose a little when he explains, too, blue eyes narrowed as if it could stop him from seeing all the things he's seeing. ] To block humanity out.
[ ...but it's impossible to do that, especially right now. souma's like a catalyst, and everything around him seems a little brighter for it, from the foliage to the moonlight falling on both of their heads. it's only the stars that feel far away.
takumi's gaze flicks to the mask, and he challenges back: ] Why did you take it away?
[ Cute. And funny. Souma laughs a little as he scoffs, though it's certainly far from mean. Everything about him is amused but calm, contained. It's different from when he's fighting or cooking, all raw energy unleashed like a wildfire. Instead he's a little more placid, at ease and without worries. Admittedly, he does drop his eyes to his blade for a second before he looks back up at his face, because even he won't forget a challenge or the bite of a sword.
The answer he gets isn't one he quite understands, though. His head tilts and his grin fades, making him look more thoughtful. He takes in a breath, before puffing it out in a small huh.
And then he lifts the mask up, holding it over his face with his fingertips light on the bottom of it. He doesn't press it down to wear it, but still covers it, mirroring the very face that wore it only moments ago. As if giving him an example of what he was seeing, before. ] Because I could see your eyes, for a second. And it made me want to see the rest of you.
[ He doesn't lower it, but he does adjust it so that his gold eyes catch the light of the moon, making them visible the same way he saw blue for that split second. ] Do you want it back?
[ the first feeling takumi gets from that is a sense of wrongness, so violent it practically wrenches through him. takumi has no reason to feel any attachment to yukihira at all--he's a target--but the very idea of him covering up his humanity with the mask, that barely seeing barely moving barely knowing beauty of humanity just feels wrong.
it's startling, like a magnet sort of pulling into place. that's wrong instead of that's what I have to do. it's like he's seeing himself for the first time, really, reflected in the pale white surface of his mask.
takumi forces himself to fake an inhale, but it feels more real than usual. like something had just stolen the very breath from his lungs, the nonexistent thing that keeps humans (that keeps yukihira) moving.
he wants to say yes. he says: ] I don't know.
[ and there's nothing fierce about it. he sounds unsure, a little suspicious. maybe a little lost. what the hell is happening? ]
[ Souma doesn't lower the mask right away. He waits for the answer, and then he keeps holding it up a little longer, letting Takumi see exactly what the rest of the world sees when they look at him. It's peculiar, he thinks, that this person would wear a mask when they shouldn't have a reason to. To keep humanity out?
Isn't everyone human, inside? Even some of the strange youkai and yosei he's met have been human, at heart, and he can't say that he would ever consider them less than a person in their own rights. So what makes these ethereal people, beautiful and fierce, any less human?
He lowers the mask, holding it out with the face nestled in his palm again. Aldini could cut off his arm easily with the way he has it extended, but there's no fear or doubt in his expression. Simply quiet desire, interest, all of it keen and intent and honed to a fine point like the sharpness of his katana. ]
Everybody has a choice. You shape what you are, you fight for what you believe in. [ He smiles. ] And that's what makes you human.
[ takumi's quiet for a long moment as he holds out the mask. he could take yukihira's arm off like this. humans are delicate, weak creatures--one strike can send them to their doom. it's one of the reasons part of him bristles up at being compared, because takumi isn't like that. he's cold and shining, a star that can't go out unless it's extinguished, not sliced up like a hot knife through butter.
he's not human, but for the first time ever, he wonders what it might like to be one.
slowly, he reaches for the mask, and takes a step forward in the process. only takumi's fingertips touch the edge of the mask as he processes what yukihira tells him. you fight for what you believe in. what is that supposed to mean? he processes it with a little bit of annoyance, but...
takumi inhales, his brows furrowing just a little. ] I don't...know what I believe in.
[ because he doesn't. he knows he has his mission, he knows he cares for his brother beyond all life itself, but that's it. that's all that comes to mind, and that's what make takumi hesitate, his gaze flickering up to look at yukihira's face again. what is he fighting for, if he doesn't have anything he really cares about? who's shaping who he is?
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still taunts him, even. takumi sees red for a second, even if his cheeks flush because he insinuated he cared about something that little--! ] That doesn't matter! [ the nerve--!
he pushes forward a little further to try and give yukihira the push off to take him over. this close, he can see every fleck of golden brown in his eyes, the upturn of his mouth. he looks so soft and human, similar to the form takumi chose to take but different in so many ways. so...alive.
as a member of the family of the heavens, takumi wears a mask. it's their way of being 'blind', when in reality, he still has his sight, can still make out yukihira as easily as anything, but now he's really looking at him, trying to catch onto...whatever's in his soul that makes him so--whatever he is.
so human, something in his head says, with less derision than he might have felt the first time he came down to earth.
he leaps back, but pushes forward again, clanging their swords together again as yukihira holds him. ] Why won't you just give up--! You're not going to beat me!
[ or maybe takumi can't beat him. it's almost like they're an equal match. ]
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He respects that. And he doesn't dare hold back, either. Even if he wants to see the face that goes with that fighting style, almost like a dance. So he does the one thing he thinks is right, and he joins the dance, a give and take. ]
Why would I give up? [ All of the teasing aside, the natural banter, Souma is sincere in this question, sharp eyes softened when they widen. Everything about him is human, but that especially, genuine confusion despite the way he doesn't yield. ] Even if I can't beat you, I won't know if I give up. I'd rather lose and learn from it than just forfeit and gain nothing.
[ His hands twist, and he takes the flat of his blade to the flat of Aldini's, the sharpness back despite the way he still seems to be looking for an answer. He just needs to push his opponent's sword down between them, make him a little less lethal for even a second. ]
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[ and yet.
souma gets the upper hand on him, just for a second--his blade gets shoved down and takumi bristles, ready to defend himself immediately. what he gets instead, is an actual look at yukihira. at the wide eyed look he's giving him, the way his chest rises and falls and moves, so unbelievably human, these things that takumi's never had to do before.
the moonlight's long since fallen over them, and it falls across takumi's face where they stand in that brief little second, illuminating the bright, bright blue of his eyes. it's not long, but it might just be a second of a being instead of someone intent on defeating him, on killing him. ]
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That's true. [ Like the idea of death isn't that huge? He doesn't want to die, but that's just the truth of it, and confirmation that his opponent is taking this that far.
There's no move to attack as he holds their blades down, though he's prepared to deflect again if he makes another move to attack him. But when it doesn't come, he stares back at him, on point but more interested in the person behind the katana than he is in taking advantage of the lull in combat. Especially when he catches some color behind that mask, and he feels a lurch in his chest. But it's brief, and not enough.
So he braces his sword with his right hand, reaching out with his left to make an attempt to remove the mask. Souma knows, without a doubt, that he wants to see those blue eyes for real. Because in that moment, everything about him was human. ]
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he could. one slice of his blade, a little magic, and he'd take yukihira's hand clean off. it'd be so easy to just end it, but there's something that holds takumi in place.
even as yukihira reaches out to grab his mask, takumi feels his heartbeat ratchet up a beat or two, and it has nothing to do with the adrenaline (he's immortal, he could fight for hours days weeks months if that's what it took). it has everything to do with this touch that's about to come, and for the first time ever, takumi's mask comes off in the presence of someone who isn't his younger brother.
pale skin, bright blue eyes, and soft blonde hair, his center bang falling back into place when the mask gets pulled away from him--takumi knows what his face looks like, but sometimes it's easy to forget. for the first time he's been down on earth, takumi feels a little bit... out of his element.
who is this guy? ]
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Everything about him seems less other without the mask, even though there's still obviously something almost ethereal even in its absence. But everything suits him, suits his voice and his dance-like fighting style. ]
Wow. [ There's nothing intelligent for him to say, for a few seconds. Souma knows he's doing something very stupid, because Aldini is strong enough that he shouldn't try to fight him with only one hand. He shouldn't try to keep him held down with just one hand. But Yukihira Souma is nothing if not an idiot who acts on instinct, and his instincts right now say that there's nothing for him to worry about right now.
So he says the first damn thing that comes to his foolish mind: ] Why wear a mask when you look like this?
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wasn't he?
takumi's caught in this internal conflict for a moment, his hand still tight on his blade but not moving, rather like a startled cat. he stares at him with his blue eyes round, and then he goes and says something so--embarrassing.
takumi immediately flusters, his face going bright red, and the back of his neck starts to glow, just a little bit, heated up all over with the force of yukihira's words. he jerks back a little bit, embarrassed, but he doesn't attack him. ] Wh-wh-what the hell are you saying?!
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I mean, you're beautiful! I don't know what I was expecting under the mask, but it feels a little wrong for you to be wearing it when you could just be yourself. [ The words are still just as genuine, gold eyes bright and keen, watching him still. This is how he sees the world every day, full of possibilities and wondrous things, and now he gets to look at this person in it all, too.
Even if they were fighting before. He thinks that makes it even better, though, because there are three ways he knows how to learn more about people.
One, to fight them, even if it's just to spar. It tells you a lot about who they are. Two, to feed them or to eat their own cooking. Food will always reveal the truth in someone's heart.
Three, to hear their story.
Despite the fact Aldini Takumi was trying to take his head off earlier, Souma is curious what his favorite kind of food is and if he'd tell his story the same way he fights. ]
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he holds up his sword again from he stepped back, posture low to the ground and blade turned out towards him, but takumi doesn't move otherwise. (mostly because he's scarlet red and would probably drop his sword if he'd try.) ] I am myself. I'm--I'm a star, you're--[ hey wait ] I don't have to defend myself to you!!
[ the flustered color on his face has continued to grow, spreading all the way down his face at this point and starting to blotch down into his neck. at least he's not glowing yet. that's embarrassing. ]
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Rather than taking advantage of it, he lowers his sword when Takumi backs off. He doesn't sheath it - he's an idiot, but not a complete idiot - and instead he just stands at rest, relaxing his stance and continuing to hold his mask delicately so that it won't suffer any damage. He might not like it too much, compared to his actual face, but it's still his. ]
But why wear the mask?
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he lifts his nose a little when he explains, too, blue eyes narrowed as if it could stop him from seeing all the things he's seeing. ] To block humanity out.
[ ...but it's impossible to do that, especially right now. souma's like a catalyst, and everything around him seems a little brighter for it, from the foliage to the moonlight falling on both of their heads. it's only the stars that feel far away.
takumi's gaze flicks to the mask, and he challenges back: ] Why did you take it away?
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The answer he gets isn't one he quite understands, though. His head tilts and his grin fades, making him look more thoughtful. He takes in a breath, before puffing it out in a small huh.
And then he lifts the mask up, holding it over his face with his fingertips light on the bottom of it. He doesn't press it down to wear it, but still covers it, mirroring the very face that wore it only moments ago. As if giving him an example of what he was seeing, before. ] Because I could see your eyes, for a second. And it made me want to see the rest of you.
[ He doesn't lower it, but he does adjust it so that his gold eyes catch the light of the moon, making them visible the same way he saw blue for that split second. ] Do you want it back?
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it's startling, like a magnet sort of pulling into place. that's wrong instead of that's what I have to do. it's like he's seeing himself for the first time, really, reflected in the pale white surface of his mask.
takumi forces himself to fake an inhale, but it feels more real than usual. like something had just stolen the very breath from his lungs, the nonexistent thing that keeps humans (that keeps yukihira) moving.
he wants to say yes. he says: ] I don't know.
[ and there's nothing fierce about it. he sounds unsure, a little suspicious. maybe a little lost. what the hell is happening? ]
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Isn't everyone human, inside? Even some of the strange youkai and yosei he's met have been human, at heart, and he can't say that he would ever consider them less than a person in their own rights. So what makes these ethereal people, beautiful and fierce, any less human?
He lowers the mask, holding it out with the face nestled in his palm again. Aldini could cut off his arm easily with the way he has it extended, but there's no fear or doubt in his expression. Simply quiet desire, interest, all of it keen and intent and honed to a fine point like the sharpness of his katana. ]
Everybody has a choice. You shape what you are, you fight for what you believe in. [ He smiles. ] And that's what makes you human.
no subject
he's not human, but for the first time ever, he wonders what it might like to be one.
slowly, he reaches for the mask, and takes a step forward in the process. only takumi's fingertips touch the edge of the mask as he processes what yukihira tells him. you fight for what you believe in. what is that supposed to mean? he processes it with a little bit of annoyance, but...
takumi inhales, his brows furrowing just a little. ] I don't...know what I believe in.
[ because he doesn't. he knows he has his mission, he knows he cares for his brother beyond all life itself, but that's it. that's all that comes to mind, and that's what make takumi hesitate, his gaze flickering up to look at yukihira's face again. what is he fighting for, if he doesn't have anything he really cares about? who's shaping who he is?
no one. not even the rest of the heavens above. ]