Chasing a Rabbit by the Tail

Luna slumped briefly, voice saddened.  

"One's own purpose, just to fight.
bleeding for another with no end in sight.  
Your blade ascends, for someone's else.
From the break of dawn to the midnight bells."

Unlike the previous riddle, her tone was more somber, projecting her sorrow to words and tone.  Then in a less sad tone.  She continues, minus the riddle.  "Although now you are free.  Free to live as your own."  A touch of a smile curved her lips albeit still a trace of her previous mood still remained.  

She placed a hand to her own chest.  "Would you believe me if I said that I am a former soldier?  Not to kill others but to rescue and defend others.  But as my talents start to manifest, I realize that I can resolve conflicts, without raising my hand against another." She created a circle with a picture.  A younger Luna sitting near two individuals shaking hands.  Then another of her delivering a box with a red cross label to a doctor.

Free, huh? I suppose there's some truth to that...free to die again, not because I killed myself, but because of this damn illness...

"A soldier? Forgive me if it's hard to see with someone like you, Miss Luna. You seem so..calm. A lot of soldiers I knew were always jittery, or jumping at their own shadows."

She thought about that, if only for a moment. She fought for a greater cause than herself, one that wasn't her own gain but for something greater than herself. And she clearly wanted to keep doing that for others. Was that why she offered to bring her here, just to talk? Simply because she could?

Even if she had been spurred into battle because of her ancestor, she had fought mostly for herself. And her sake. She may have fought for that asshole Toutaku, but that was just to get close enough to kill the bastard.

Ryofu didn't know why, but she suddenly felt...awful about herself.

Her arms crossed, she placed them onto the table and cradled her head onto it. Her expression had turned somber as well, as if she was wrestling with her own thoughts. "Miss Luna...if you knew even half of the things I'd done, not even because it was something I had to do, but because I wanted to...you'd probably hate me. And it'd be deserved. I'm not...a good person."

Why does it...hurt, to admit that to her? What's wrong with me today? It's like I...care, what she thinks of me. I barely know her, and she barely knows me! So why...why do I feel like this now?

"Soldiers that tend to have arrived from a war-zone.  That, and it takes a great deal of discipline to retain composure.  Fortunately for us, the moon rabbits have not had any major conflicts, mostly isolated incident."  Her hand motioned toward where they had first met.  "If you recall, I was able to detect you when you were hiding in the bushes.  And I was able to pause your arm."  She rested her hand on the table as she watched Ryofu, keenly aware of the emotional conflict welled within the green-haired woman.

"Ryofu...I do not think ill of you at all.  You are expressing concern for your actions; that in itself speaks much of your character beyond the actions."  Luna spoke softly and assuringly, the faint smile leaving her lips.  "I know that that we haven't met each other for very long, but I feel that you have a reason for the desires of those actions."

She looked up at Luna, feeling exposed at this point from her own thoughts. She didn't think she'd been this open with anyone before.

"You only say that because you don't know me...and the things I've done to people who didn't deserve it..." she said weakly. She had long since convinced herself that she was beyond redemption, but until today, it didn't dwell on her thoughts like it did right now.

She'd always known what she'd done was wrong. Not even just the things that prick ordered her to. She'd never tried to even think otherwise. But she always told herself that it was all she could do, all that she was capable of, anymore. All of it back then was just to see to tomorrow, and then just to see her vengeance fulfilled.

She laughed, even if the tone was empty and distant. "You're...too nice for your own good, Miss Luna. People might take advantage of that kindness, one day..." she said, trying to force one of those smiles she had earlier, but the result likely coming out more pitiful than anything. She was still trying to decide whether she was one of those people, or not. At this point, not even she was sure.

Luna sighed at Ryofu's persistant of her sins being permanent; it hurt to see Ryofu in this state. "Does it has to do with the ones you were taking to death with you in your last moments?" Luna paused to allow Ryofu to process the question before she continued. "If you allow me, I can help you. At the very least, I am a willing ear to listen to you, to relief some of your burden to your heart..." Another slight pause. "...but I will not force you to, if it is too much or you do not wish to. My ears is still open to you."

Luna took a moment to take a sip from her tea, feeling the warmth course through her briefly, feeling more at peace. "I do thank you for your concern, but be assure that I an adept at taking care of myself. After all, I've perplexed you for a while." Luna smiled. "Though have you figured out if I am the real Luna yet?"

She didn't even hesitate to shake her head in negative at her question. "No, no. The person I killed with me was a right asshole. He deserved worse, really. And it apparently wasn't enough to put him down permanently, anyway. That's...not what bothers me."

She wasn't sure if she was ready to open up all the way with her sins. The things she's done. The people she's killed, or worse. Far worse. She wasn't even sure if she felt remorse for it, really, and that's what scared her most of all. She stayed silent at her offer, not really sure where to even begin.

Her question was enough to get her mind off things, though. She paused to think about it, before coming to a conclusion she was comfortable with. She had no idea if it was correct, but it was a shot in the dark.

"Well, if you want me to take a stab at it, Miss Luna, then I can be open at that, at least. The waitress was a red herring, something that you altered using your own abilities. She's probably a perfectly normal person. And truth be told..I don't think you're real, either. I'll bet you're not even in the same building."

"I see."  Luna nod at what Ryofu said, of what bothered her, but she was not elaborating on what was truly bothering her.  Luna decided to not to press on, respecting Ryofu's privacy and wishes.  Perhaps in the future, she can learn of the person that appeared to be the source of her trouble, but not now.

Shifting subject and mood for a bit to move from the past.  She again listens to Ryofu's guess of her guess and and of the status of the waitress before smiling.  "Well, I did note one thing when we've met.  You were very perceptive and was constantly looking for signs.  That is generally a good method of combating against most illusionist, and admittedly, you surprised me when you caught on my first illusion.  However, upon learning this, I devised a two-front trick.

"The first is that I create a very slight glamour effect on the waitress's hair that it very alike to mind.  In truth, her hair is more of a white-yellow so the change is very minimal and can be overlooked in the night.  This is an intentional sign that you were suppose to look.  By focusing on her, you were not focusing on me and the signs that I was leaving to indicate whether I am real or not."

She heldup her plate of half-finished bruschetta, then the tea cup.  "The food and the tea was being consumed and remained that way.  Now it may be possible to create illusions of them being eaten or drunk but maintaining too many fronts of illusions can make one prone to mistakes which will tip you off of them being an illusion.  In truth, Ryofu, I am actually here enjoying dinner with you."

It took Ryofu a moment to process what has just been told to her. Blinking a few times with a surprised look, she had difficulty believing it. "C-Come on, Luna, that's...not.."

Slowly, everything about the scenario clicked into her brain at once. Everything she said was the truth. Luna in front of her was very real. She had trusted her enough to put herself in danger like this, with someone that wanted to originally take her for herself.

She felt something wet run down her cheeks. She couldn't understand it, but...she had trusted her. Something about that...hurt her, somehow. She didn't know how to feel. Upset at herself at her actions? Happy to have someone actually care about her well being? But, no, there was one more emotion in there; one that was hiding in the back of her mind.

She could barely form words as her mind was trying to piece itself back together. "M-Miss Luna..." she got out, feeling so very out of sorts. She had done this for her. She...she had to do this. She swallowed, pushing down the rush of emotions for only a moment.

"I...I'm dying, Miss Luna. And there's nothing that...anyone can do about it." she told her, the smile the warmest it had been all night. It was her purpose for keeping going at all, even if deep down, she knew it was pointless to search.

The news came at a complete shock to Luna.  Dying?  Luna looked down at her teacup.  It was that then she realized that Ryofu was given a new lease on life, but it was borrowed time.  Sorrow crept into her heart for a moment...until it was pushed down from the realization that she can be a catalyst to her recovery.

"Ryofu, can you tell what is it that is killing you?  I wish to help you, to figure what exactly is it, to figure a way to overcome it."  Despite the peace within her face and the serene demeanor, within her voice Luna is almost pleading, pleading for Ryofu to allow to be helped.

Ryofu shook her head at her question, tears still coming down at this point. "I-I don't know...I've always had this. Even before I died. It gets worse when...I overexert myself. Sometimes it flares up almost at random, and some days it doesn't...bother me at all. All I know is it has something to do with my lungs."

She always knew it would one day kill her. She knew that much. She didn't know how much time was ever left, really, other than it seemed to stagnate.

"By the time I was capable of doing something about it, it was...too late. Every doctor I ever see always gives...the same reaction. The same look, the shake of a head, and those same words. 'I'm sorry, we can't do anything to help you.' Some hug me. Those are the ones that hurt the most."

Some part of her wanted to believe that this world could be different, that someone would have some magical super cure that would keep her from dying. But, the realist in her knew better. It knew that there probably wasn't any such cure, no matter how much magic was involved.

Thought emotional about how Ryofu's second lease on life is potentially cut short, her ears picked up some keywords that were important: Lungs, flare up, doctors cannot help her, too late, all point towards a form of a progressive lung disease of a sort.  It wasn't much to go by but it was much better than nothing.  The first thoughts that came to her mind is a disease or an illness of a sort.  Medical knowledge was one of Luna's weaker fields.  However...

"I myself cannot help you as I am not well versed in such knowledge. However, I have some colleagues that are and have been able to help others deal with maladies, some in which had thought to be 100% guarantee death. That, and we do have an archive of wide variety of subjects which may include the illness that you have." Luna paused for a moment. "I can imagine why the doctors would tell you that there is nothing they can do, even those that mean well. However, I believe it is because the problem you have may be beyond their skill set, or one that requires another mindset."

Ryofu had essentially had the dam broken by this point, and couldn't stop the flow of emotions coming from her. She didn't think she'd ever cried this much before. Even when she died, all she felt was anger, then. Ryofu didn't know how to feel, anymore, but thinking about the inevitable, that it might be coming at any moment...that always terrified her, more than anything.

All she could do was stare as Luna had this shred of hope to her, that these colleagues of hers could help her live. She seemed so calm, detailing all of this, while all Ryofu could do is cry. Normally she'd hate how weak this made her look, but right now...she didn't know what to do with herself.

"...y-you'd go through all of that...f-for me? W-Why? I...I-I wanted to...reduce you to nothing b-but a pet...a-and now, you...you want to do all of this...for my sake?" She let out a laugh at the thought, but it was empty, and without any sort of pride. "I...I don't have anything to offer you. All I have to my n-name is...myself. It'd be...a waste, f-for you, a-and your...colleagues." She slumped forward, both hands encircling her head as they laid on the table. "S-So...why?" she said, her voice muffled but still carrying her emotions perfectly. She was confused, baffled even. Of course she wanted to find a cure, but...

Do I even deserve one?

Luna closed her eyes as the question 'Why?' was asked again and again.  When Luna opened her eyes, again the same calm on her face was there but there is also a new light within her eyes, soft with the same gentle soul but also strength of will.  Even the words that come from her held the same steel resolve within the silk.

'You are given another chance.  Whom you were, what you did, now you were able start anew again.  Yet, this same second chance was denied to you by what killed you in the first place.  To live under borrowed time and given almost no time to live again.  Worse yet, what would prevent you from returning but yet barred from living again in the next existance?"  A sigh broke the flow of words.  "I just want you to live, Ryofu, not just for a while before you perish again, but to actually live."

She felt her hands and teeth clench when she heard her speak. She was so confident, so sure that she could help her, even with Ryofu wasn't. She wanted to just yell "you don't know anything!" and storm out, just so the girl wouldn't devote so much time to something she was sure was a lost cause. But...she couldn't find the words or the will to do it.

Something about that last sentence, however, struck a chord with her.

"I just want you to live"

That one sentence, that one statement was enough to push her over the edge. It was what she wanted. And she was so willing to try. She brought her face up out of the cradle of her arms, tears still going. "I...I want to live...I want to live, more than anything!" Her expression was pained, as if telling that one truth truly hurt her. It felt selfish, after everything she'd done, to even want to continue living, but she's so sure that such a thing could be done. Was...was Luna right? Should she cast aside all of that and look at life as it is now?

It had came out, what Ryofu really wanted in her heart, _to live_. No more distractions, no more illusions, no more facade, no more outer persona. _This_ was Ryofu.

And with that, Luna got up from her chair, and before Ryofu could respond, Luna moved to wrap her around the Toushi and squeezed, giving her a hug. Her shorter statue allow her to not have to bend too much to do so. "I will do what I can to help you do so, Ryofu." Within the rabbit's soft whisper, lies a conviction that she is going to help her.

She gasped slightly when Luna went over to her and brought her into a hug. She wasn't expecting it at all, but right now, she felt so out of sorts in general.

Everything in her mind told her to push her away, to keep her from wasting her efforts on another dead end. Yet another person who walked away from her, disappointed in themselves.

She couldn't bring herself to do it. All she could do was hug back, sobbing, tightly holding the top of her head considering the size difference. She couldn't even form words. All of the confidence, all of the facade, all of who she was 99% of the time, had crumbled. All that was left was the sad, scared little girl who feared the death she felt was inevitable more than anything. She still didn't know for sure if Luna could do anything for her, but it didn't matter. Hearing someone that truly wanted to try, someone that wanted her to try, was enough to push her this far.

They stayed in this embrace for what felt like an eternity. "M-M-Miss Luna...hic" she said, still holding her close. "...I-I want to believe you. I r-really sniff do. I'm...I'm...I hic I'm so sorry! I...I wanted someone...to say things like that hic to me...a-and I didn't...think anyone would...do them...willingly...b-but you...I...I..." she trailed off back into sobs, crying into her shoulder.

"I...we will do everything we can. If by some reason, there isn't a way, we will research it until we find one." Luna assured that Ryofu will live freeway and the extent that they will follow though. She held the sob woman close to her for a while allowing her to let everything out, while she became the short emotional pillar for Ryofu. Poor Ryofu had so much emotional burden within herself. She allowed Ryofu some more time to cope before the two finally part.

Luna pulled a tablet from her leg pouch before turning it and pressed a bunch of things on the screen that look like buttons. Her fingers were a mini-blur as they danced across the screen for a good 65 seconds before she turns it off and smiles at Ryofu. "A ride should be able to pick us up in about 27 minutes."

Ryofu stayed in the hug with Luna for a while, crying her heart out. She was vulnerable, open, and it felt so foreign to her. But, she didn't mind it, either.

Eventually, she broke the hug, her cheeks bright red from the tears as she wiped them away with a sniffle. She watched Luna do something with a tablet for an extended period of time, her fingers nearly a blur by the action, before putting it away.

"M-Miss Luna...e-even if, you can't help me...I-I want you to know that, you trying at all...makes me so happy..." she said with a smile, truly meaning it. "I-I promise...I'll find a way to, pay you back for it! No matter what it takes!" She placed both of her hands on Luna's shoulders, his expression determined.

"Well even if we cannot _immediately_ help, we can still research the malady to be able to help you. That is usually our procedure." Luna smiled, again reassuringly. "As for paying my back, I do have some thing I need some help with but let us work on restoring you first before we consider it." Luna's ears perk slightly. "Speaking of payment."

The waitress came the the table with a bill in which Luna paid the cost of the meal plus some tips. Luna asked for a few boxes to go as part of the bruschetta on their dishes remained uneaten. The waitress was fairly swift to return with the to-go boxes and thanked them both for dropping by. After Luna finished the transaction with the waitress, she turned towards Ryofu. "When you are ready, we can head over to our pick-up start."

"Whatever is, you can count on it! I promise!" She had never expected today to go like this in her life. What started as an idle distraction spiraled into what she was looking for, and maybe, possibly, a hope. Something she hadn't felt like she truly meant it in some time.

After Luna paid for the food, Ryofu made herself use, carrying what was left with them after the two left. "So...where are we going, anyway? These friends of yours must be something special if you think they can help me...I'm getting a little excited, honestly."

Luna's mood lifted as she saw Ryofu is much more jubilant mood, the hope practically flowing from her. The joy is infectious and causes Luna to smile non-stop. "They are. Each one of them has a specific skill set that would benefit people across a wide spectrum of requirements. The ones I will consult with is Hestia the kitsune who is in charge of health both in magic and medical with a magic aptitude in life. The other is Angie, the scylla chief engineer who created the machines and facilities for our buildings.

The building we are heading to is a medical facility a good distance here. Fortunate our skycraft should be able to get us there in short notice. Those two should be there by the time we arrive."

When Luna talked about these other two, her mood seemed to instantly perk up. They must be incredibly important to her. She followed along next to her, carrying the leftover food.

"A kitsune and a scylla, huh? So that's...a fox person, and, uh...a squid? I'm not super knowledgeable on this stuff yet, but it sounds like you have some incredible friends. I'm getting a little nervous, honestly."

However, one statement gave her thoughts a slight pause. "Wait, did you say 'skycraft'?" She hadn't seen anything like a plane, or a helicopter yet. She was starting to think this world didn't have things like that, but, she did, somehow?

"Actually scyllas are octopuses. She is one of the more friendlier individuals in our organization and is always willing to lend a hand or tentacle to help. Hestia may seem a bit flaky and precocious in demeanor but she takes her job seriously while being quite a show in recreational meetings." Luna murmured as she speaks of her comrades. It was then that she caught herself rambling a bit. "Ah, my apologies, I didn't mean to go on a tangent." She stuttered embarrassingly, her ears folded slightly forward as she rubbed the back of the base of her ears awkwardly.

Just then there is a slight sound of air surging from across the night horizon before a triangular shaped plan aircraft floated to their direction. It was hard to detect it with its dark blue painting with white specs camouflaging very well with the night sky. A side of the skycraft opens up revealing a 5'1 blue haired woman with an orb floating next to her. "Lady Luna, we are ready to take you and your guest to the medical facility."

She giggled a little at Luna's embarassment. "It's fine, really. I don't mind. Whenever you talk about them, you seem so excited and happy. I like seeing you that way."

She was cut off when she heard a strange sound, one she hadn't heard since coming here. Jet engines? No one here seemed to have anything of the sort, but it was unmistakable. It grew louder rapidly, and it took her eyes a second to make out the shape of a strange, triangular object that was nearly impossible to see in the night sky. When it hit her, her jaw dropped, almost but not quite dropping the leftover food.

"...are you guys secret agents?!? Oh my god this is so cool!"

"I do not believe that secret agent is a good description.  I myself operate out in the open."  Luna gestured to the park that where they had their fateful meeting before she stepped onto the expanding ramp to allow them to walk into the skycraft.  The young woman had finished giggling at Ryofu's shocked response.  

Inside of the skycraft was a row of cushioned seats, each one with a safety harness.  Luna moved to settle onto one of them before pulling the harness over the her chest and let the buckle snap in with a click.  "As for who we are, we're an organization that takes on progressive missions.  Though our profession do deal with income for our price, we highly value any items and objects pertaining to knowledge.  Ancient cultural items, blueprints, and documents are some of the items we hold in high value."