Prelude [closed]

[gained_a_level]

Date & Time: 7/12, night
Location: Sam's room
Characters: Castiel, Sam Winchester and then Yoruichi
Summary: Sam Winchester and Yoruichi get a disturbing vision.
Warnings: Blood and stuff?


Sam...

[ He knows it's impolite, at least that much was made clear to him the many times Dean snapped at Cas for being 'creepy' and watching him while he slept. No doubt Sam would feel similar discomfort with the fact the angel was leaning over his slumbering form, sitting on the edge of his bed and speaking directly into his ear at too close a range. Normally, the weight of his stare seems heavy enough to rouse even the deepest of sleepers, but this time, he doesn't wait for him to wake up naturally.

He doesn't have the luxury of time, even here. ]

Sam.

Comments

[gained_a_level]

[ Castiel turns to cough again, leaving a confused-looking Sam behind as the dream narrows its focus instead on Yoruichi. He lifts his head, brows creased and holds out his hands together... his palms cupped together to hold the dark pool. ]

Yoruichi...

[ An initial attempt at getting up to approach her results in another choking cough, one that forces him to double over. Blood patters as it hits the floor and blanket. ]

[goneonenight]

[Whatever force is holding her back is suddenly broken, and she darts forward to crouch in front of him. His blood looks oddly black and viscous, menacing enough to make her hesitate touching him.]

What happened? What can't you let go of?

[If he's trying to talk through those injuries, it must be important--and more than likely related to how he got that way.]

[gained_a_level]

This.

[ As the blood or black ooze begins to seep through the negligible spaces between his fingers, a shape emerges from it -- it snakes around itself in loops and consumes its tail with a bulbous head, too large for it's body... and in the underlaying mood of this nightmarish vision, one might think of it as a tiny serpent.

And Castiel is holding it out for her to take. ]

It... has significant personal meaning for me.

[ The blood pooling on the floor seems to find some hidden well or eats into the floor itself with how it suddenly appears that Castiel is standing ankle deep in it, but none of it reaches Yoruichi. It seeps from him, then seems to have a life of its own -- crawling up his body as if to rush back inside.

Castiel stops coughing, but his expression is exhausted and apologetic. A feverish pallor begins to appear in stark contrast to the dark substance that stains everything it touches. ]

They're too strong, I haven't got much time left.

[goneonenight]

[She automatically reaches her hand out, steeling herself against the touch of the oily-looking substance coating the serpent. While it doesn't hurt her, it clings to her skin, and only by force of will can she keep herself from shaking it off.]

I've got it, all right?

[But her discomfort is nothing compared to that of her friend, and if her voice is sharp when she speaks again, concern and alarm have made it so.]

Dammit, what is wrong with you? Tell me how to help you!

[One hand cradles the serpent, while her other suddenly glows blue with healing kidou, reaching out to touch his chest.]

[gained_a_level]

[ Once she has it, he reaches out and clasps her hand tightly with his, the oil-black substance smearing over his hands and hers. He shivers, and his hands are fever-hot, and something under his skin seems to squirm like a snake in water. When the blue light illuminates their faces, his skin almost appears paper white, and veins of black pulse on his neck and disappear. Whatever it is, it seems to be beyond her ability to heal. ]

Leviathan.

[ That is what is wrong with him, and something in his eyes looks painfully close to deep regret, as strong as the angel could ever feel and yet it's always difficult for him to express much at all. ]

They are one of many regrets.

[goneonenight]

[Her kidou is entirely ineffective, seeming to dissipate as it leaves her body. Unknown to her, her entire appearance changes, her clothes shifting to the backless leotard and leg armor she'd worn during her fight with Aizen--signifying without words her readiness to fight on behalf of her friend.]

Regret won't get those things out of you. Don't give in, not when you have people to fight for you.

[She lays her other hand over his, her grip firm.]

We'll figure something out, so don't give up.

[gained_a_level]

[ Castiel's eyes widen for a moment, but he shakes his head solemnly. ]

That is kind of you to say, but probability that I will survive is... immeasurably small.

[ He gives her hands a small squeeze, and the pendant digs a little painfully in the palm of her hand. ]

It is fortunate that I am able to see one friend before I die, and you have been a good friend... in this world and the last.

...Take care of this and what it represents.

[goneonenight]

[She opens her hand, surprised to see a pendant instead of the serpent she'd previously been holding. Her fingers close around it, and she gives Castiel a short nod.]

I will.

[It's hard not to despair given Castiel's quiet acceptance, a bone-deep fatalism that treats this all as a foregone conclusion. But she's grown fond of him over their months in Exsilium, and despite her general pragmatism, it's too early for her to give in to the inevitable.]

I promise I will, so hang on--

[Her eyes fly open to darkness, her heart hammering as her surroundings slowly register. Vaguely menacing shadows reform into her bedroom furniture, and her heart rate slows as she finally comes fully awake.]

[The dream is already starting to fade, but the gist is clear. Castiel had been in danger, so much so he'd been assured of his own death. Being awake blunts the impact of her earlier alarm and dismay, but she can't shake it off entirely.]

[As the dark of night gives way to the grey dawn of yet another overcast day, she stares at her ceiling, unable to go back to sleep. She eventually shakes off her uneasy feeling, chalking it up to a strange dream and resolving to pop in on her friend as soon as possible, just to reassure herself.]

[The pendant remains tangled in her bedsheets, and will remain unnoticed until much later. The pieces will all fall together then, but by that time...the knowledge will be cold comfort.]