The Ripper's Crimson String [JJ/Serenity]

"…Kuuh…"

How much punishment can the human body take? That question can be answered in several ways. The first is through sheer amount of physical pain and torment being required to make a person's heart stop beating. While this is a fixed value, it is not the only way that a human body can break down. There is even the possibility that the human body will refuse to fall to the average amount of punishment, meaning the force required needs to increase as well.

That will to preserve can make breaking certain humans difficult. That determination, the drive when one has chosen to refuse to fall. One of the greatest mysteries of life… the beauty of the human will.

In this stage, the sounds of pain were released by a youthful voice, accompanied by the sickening crunch of body slamming against metal. The owner of that body slowly drew himself up once more, looking at the robot in front of him. "You're not me… I refuse to believe… that you are me!" He growled at the mechanical being, pointing his sword at it. Two hands gripped around the hilt of the blade… but they were gripping so intensely that his knuckles were beginning to go white. No, I won't die here. I refuse… to lose to lose to this… impostor…!

Kurama the Ripper had been attempting to train. To do so, he had entered an abandoned facility within the industrial district of Tokyo itself. He felt that a connection to a place as rich in culture as Edo would only improve the results of his training. He had wanted to train by fighting a robotic version of himself, using technology similar to that of his Tsurugi. However, the creature which had emerged from within that robotic clump… that was not him. The two of them had been fighting for well over half an hour now, due to the nature of the blades that they carried. These swords dug into mechanics, siphoning off energy and using it to repair themselves. It was possible that this battle could go on forever.

Here he comes again! Kurama's laser like focus homed in again, preparing his blade for a parry. He knocked his impostor's blade out of the way, and went for a horizontal slash. There, did I…? The feeling of cold metal moving through his flank was all the answer he needed, making him roll away. His left hand reached for his side, his Tsurugi informing him of the damage that he was being dealt. It doesn't stop… It's got the same limitations that I do… so why…? Kurama could not understand why things were turning out this way. His breathing was hard, his eyes half closed as he felt the impostor begin to approach him once more. He could hear the dripping sound of his own blood hitting the floor of the abandoned warehouse. It sounded like his own red line of fate with scissors sliding along its length…

Could this be… where I…?

What?

Kurama's gaze shifted over to the woman who had just barged into the hall. The robot version of himself that he had been fighting also shifted its attention. Its single eye shone crimson, staring at her as she vanished. What was that technique? Kurama wondered, seeing her appear between the two of them. She seemed to be trying to stop their conflict with some sort of barrier. She's... protecting me? Why? That thing's going to try to kill her! Kurama thought to himself, willing for his body to try standing up again. The robot, meanwhile, had turned its attention back to her. "Ineffective. I will tear you to shreds." The robotic being seemed to have… a voice. "Rip and tear, rip and tear…!"

The blade it held rose into the air, before cutting down onto the barrier itself. The blade shifted to the side, cutting away at the chi, before being raised and rapidly cutting down into it again. "That thing's not human!" Kurama's exhausted voice called out to the woman, forcing himself back onto his feet. He was obviously harmed… and also partly cybernetic? Or mostly cybernetic. His words, though… only made the robot's electromagnetic field blade move faster, the chainsaw-like application of electricity shredding harder and harder into the field.

"Damnit." Kurama's heel-like foot slammed into the ground, his blade sliding down to his side. "That thing's out of control!" He told her, stepping around her barrier as the robotic being felt the barrier beginning to shift, a sadistic smile painting its face. "Hey, killer!" He shouted, trying to get its attention as he lifted the blade up from his side.

The move he used was extremely basic, but the laijutsu involved would likely disorient the robot. Its focus was shifted, causing the blade to meet Kurama's. Sparks flew between the two as Kurama used his momentum to push the being away from Serenity, stepping between her and it. His eyes were angry, now, his brow furrowed. "What is wrong with you?!" He demanded of his robotic clone, shoving his blade in harder.

"Are you a civilian, or a warrior?" He asked Serenity, not taking his eyes off of his opponent. "Mutilate. Rip, shred… shred…" That low tone continued to emanate from the robot, Kurama's heart racing in his chest. The wound on his side was still dripping blood down, but Kurama was not hampered by it. That was because of the pain inhibitors within his suit. He was holding the creature back, for now. "Thank you… for the help!" He strained out, before giving it all to push the robot back a few steps. Backing up himself, he turned his face back at her. His expression was one of confusion, before he blinked, having just realized something.

"This is my problem, anyway! Get outta here; I don't want you getting hurt because of my screw up!"

"Your attempts at defense… are Ineffective." The robotic voice informed the woman, before continuing with his massive assault. He was not going to stop as long as she was in the way, attempting to shatter through her barrier now that her concentration had been interrupted. The robotic presence could sense her fear. It merely encouraged it further.

"That's right. This guy wouldn't think twice about killing you, or me, or anyone. It's a machine that's trying to kill." Kurama explained to her, before making the machine back off a bit. He was clearly weaker than the robot before him. Damn. How is he stronger than me…? How is that possible…? He's supposed to be me…! Sweat ran down the side of Kurama's face, while the blood continued to drip down his side. This was taxing for him, and keeping the creature away from them barely gave him enough time to understand what she was saying.

"Well then, prepare yourself." Kurama told her through grit teeth, breathing hard. He was going to respond, but then realized that she should not be here, telling her to run away. He heard her beginning to flee, and in some way that calmed his heart. This is really bad. If he gets off a lucky shot… it's possible he could kill me. How is this happening?! We should be the same! His breath came out unsteadily, preparing himself mentally to begin defending once more. Perhaps his problem was simply that he was frustrated by this fact.

But then, his heart both calmed itself and grew more agitated. She had decided to stay, after all. Well, if that is her decision… Then that's what is going to happen. He decided, breathing for another moment before looking back at her. This was the first time she would see his face, the black band concealing his red eye, his blue iris looking at her. "Can you make that barrier again, and move around while its created?" He asked her, before going to answer her previous question.

"As far as stopping it goes… same way you kill a human. Stab him in the heart, in the head, slash out his stomach…" Kurama was exceedingly brash in talking about these horrific acts. "Basically… I want you to make that barrier and crash it into him, reducing his mobility and distracting him." Kurama explained this to her, his tactical mind taking full charge.

"…Tch." He let out… seeing that his doppelganger had split when she had turned back around. "…He knows everything that I would do, or suggest. Once it was obvious that you were here and he could be defeated, he ran…" Kurama explained, lifting himself back up from his rest before turning to face her. "He will hurt innocent people if we leave him be… but he also will want to kill me before doing that." He told her, before gesturing towards the offices where his doppelganger had retreated to, stepping towards them.

"So this is your show now. I've told you what can beat him, but it's a tactical strategy, not relying on pure power. That means that if I determine how we use it, he'll figure out the situation and how to beat it." He was essentially telling her to take over tactical command to make the plan that he had shared with her work. Of course, he would have to come up with a different idea if she could not move and use her barriers. In that case, she would still be asked to direct herself, in order to limit the robot's movements.

This was their best chance to stop this monster.

The reaction that she had to his request that she take up command made him want to chuckle. Perhaps he would, later, if he got out of this alive. Leadership was not inherent to human beings; it was so much easier to be a follower than a leader. Leadership meant taking on responsibility, taking on the chance of blame. Being a follower meant safety, at least to a degree. It meant that someone else was going to watch out for you, ideally, and guide you properly towards success.

That responsibility was what Kurama was now dumping on this girl who had chosen to stay and fight with him. "Sounds like a plan enough to me." He told her, putting both hands against the sides of his head as electronic sparks ran through them. Without pausing, the electrified fists crashed against either side of his head. His eyes rolled up in his head for a moment, before shining white. The black strip that was concealing one eye fell away, and the armor on the sides of his head fell away, revealing his jaw and ears. His equipment was forcibly deactivated, being overloaded by Kurama's electrical prowess.

"There. Let's see him try to track my mechanics without any mechanics active." He explained, his center of gravity lowering as he advanced forwards. It seems like she has come up with some kind of plan. That's a pretty rapid recovery time. He thought, leading the pathway into the building. So now I know something he doesn't… that I'm going to grab him. He thought to himself, his expression serious as the pair walked into the offices. I could really use some way to help me with this… hmm… His eyes glanced at the armor on his body… and he was given an idea. Stabbing his blade into the ground, he stood upright, putting two fingers against his lips. The intention was obvious; he wanted her to be silent.

Removing both of the arm pieces of his armor, he focused intensely. Where he did so, electrical sparks began going off. Streaks of light poured through the small office area, the bolts pouring into the gloves. "Yes." He said with a smile, a bead of sweat pouring down the side of his head. Letting go of the gloves… they floated in the air. The propulsion systems within them were keeping them at the correct level, the same way that they made themselves weightless when Kurama wore them.

Kurama began walking backwards, with Serenity behind him, having resumed that crouching stance. "My name is Kurama. No nationality, no ethnicity." He explained to her, his eyes glancing around in every direction. But it was not his eyes, but his ears, that would let him know that their adversary had found the bait.

*CLANK, CLANK, CLANK, CLANK-CLANK-CLANK-CLANK*

Kurama held up a single finger to her now, as if to say 'wait'. If she understood and gave him a nod, he would nod back… Before a sharp grinding noise filled the hallways.

Kurama gripped his sword, leaping out from behind the wall. The robot's back was to them, and a confused expression was on its face. The gloves that had been floating in the air were grabbing the robot's wrists, trying to yank them downwards. "Alright, let's see how you like this!" He yelled out, lifting his blade high and sending it crashing down.

The metal bit into the robot's shoulder, and Kurama put his full human weight on it. The blade sliced clean through the joint where it had impacted… but the move was not without cost. Kurama's body was grabbed by the robot's other arm, and he was physically lifted into the air. His lack of armor was proving his disadvantage as he was slammed into the ground, blood firing out of his mouth as the back of his ribs fractured, and he heard two small 'pops'. His own shoulder was dislocated.

Rolling away, the robot's blade came down to where his head had been… but that was when the gloves grabbed at the arm, trying to pull it back. Kurama's own arm lay limply at his side, but with his free one he countered a kick aimed for his broken ribs. In that moment, the battle was brought to a pause. Kurama's body was behind the robot's… and his arm was held around his throat.

The Ripper's mouth opened, glancing back at where Serenity was hopefully still hiding. "N…Now…! Do it now…!" He told her, a hint of desperation entering his voice. It was taking everything he could to hold out like this… if she was not able to take the robot out in one shot…

This could be where they met their end.

"Great!"

Kurama winced, feeling the force from Serenity's attack impact the robot he was attached to. His arms were forced to let go, throwing him down onto the ground, his body going limp. He was breathing hard, pain shooting across his expression. One hand went to his chest, trying to apply pressure to where his ribs were soaring with pain. However, after that instant of weakness, his eyes snapped open again. He let his energy flow back into his suit, making it online again. The pain receptors that he wore kicked in, making standing possible once again.

His systems being back online, his augmented reality was screaming at him. He could see flares and flashes of the damage that had affected him. He could see that he would pass out soon from the amount of blood he had lost. Slowly, he strode over to where the robot was, not even looking at Serenity. The blood was roaring into his ears, the adrenaline pumping hard, so very hard. His mouth was open, breathing in and out… but the look in his eyes was not the same as the one when Serenity had found him. All of that composure, acting as a guardian, concern… it had all passed away. Kurama was walking towards where the robot laid on the floor… and was still trying to raise itself back up. The thing had not died, and it had the same tenacity that Kurama had.

"Bastard… You love pain so much…?"

The Ripper asked of his clone, lifting the blade above his head… and then thrusting it down. The tip of the sword entered inside of the robot's armor, oil and blood-like substance splashing back onto Kurama's body. The robot's functionality was instantly impaired, barely able to move…

But Kurama did not stop. He lifted the blade out again, before forcing it to thrust back into the hole, and then again, and again, and again, and again. His face was lost in the moment, a horrible look accompanying it. A look of hatred, pleasure, satisfaction, horror… It was as if the man could not control what he was doing. He gave off the exact same aura that the robot had when it looked at Serenity moments earlier. But the assault would continue until someone tried to stop him… or the dead thing laying on the floor had nothing left resembling a body.