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[ex_elude798]

[Suzaku dials up the network from his phone, attention clearly fixed on something in front of him. His focus lies there, phone bobbing along as he walks. It's unclear exactly what he's doing until a loud pop rings through the air, and he abruptly drops the phone]

Damn-

[He clamps a hand over his shoulder, blood welling up between his fingers, and turns around. He's just in time for a pair of men dressed up in Blood Key attire to drag him offscreen, curses and threats belted about as he goes.

The sounds of struggle a short distance away are obvious. One voice remarks that the guy doesn't go down easily, and Suzaku's profanities fluctuate between English and Japanese as time drags on.

Eventually, silence settles in. It's a long, heavy silence, followed by footfalls and nothing more.

At least, until Suzaku's voice drifts over the air, weakly]

I...have to live...

[There's some scraping and shuffling, followed by a surprised cry. The sound of gunfire erupts, interspersed with thumps, thuds, and cracks. Electrical crackling joins the violent chorus, and a lone Blood Key stumbles within view of the phone's tiny screen.

He backs up one step, then another, and begins to take a third.

That's when a dark blur darts right at him, slamming into the man, the impact sending him sailing out of view. The blur stills with the scrape of boots against pavement, resolving to Suzaku's familiar form. Distantly, a crash follows.

For several long moments, Suzaku stands there, utterly still. His expression is blank. If he's aware that he's bleeding from no small number of gashes and at least one gunshot wound, he doesn't show it. Far from it, he just stands there.

Then, abruptly, he wavers, struggling to stand. He glances around wide-eyed, as though he's not quite sure where he is]

Wh-what the hell-?

[Electricity crackles and pops somewhere offscreen, and he braces in an attempt to stay on his feet. With the amount of blood on his clothes alone, it's obvious why he inevitably sinks to his knees on the pavement]

What is this...?

Comments

[spellfire]

i know enough to know you just got your ass beat and would probably have gotten skinned if it wasn't for whatever the fuck you just did

and in fact guess what next time they see you they'll probably just shoot first

and at least doing nothing KEEPS YOU ALIVE

[ex_elude798]

[Evidently he has no idea what she's talking about, squinting at the words a few times. What he did?

Not ringing any bells]

Doing nothing doesn't keep everyone else alive. A soldier's responsibility isn't to himself - it's everyone else.

[spellfire]

okay soulja boy

you can go pretend you're super man

i'll just watch you get hoed

[ex_elude798]

[What do farming implements have to do with anything, he has no idea]

I never said I was a hero.

[In fact, it's something of a sore point, and that much is glaringly obvious. He'd like to be one, but heroes aren't real]

But can protect other people. And if I'm capable, that's what I'll do.

[Because in his mind, nobody else is gonna]

[spellfire]

[excuse you don't you ever listen to music

god you are just the worst dude]

w/e w/e

what do you want on your tombstone

[ex_elude798]

[Their appreciation for one another is mutual]

I'm not dead yet.

Besides, that'd be up to my godfather.

[And it will probably say something like "Here lies Suzaku Kururugi. Soldier. Student. Cat collector. Never could get that stick out of his ass..."]

[spellfire]

assuming he can recognize your body

[ex_elude798]

He would, even if nobody else did.

[Even when the hell's been beaten out of him, he still sounds damned proud of godpapa]

...Anyhow, he'd bring me back and kill me himself, if I gave up here.