Sector H [Operation Moon Massacre] (2024)

Artist: RWBY - Song: Divide - Word Count: 1029

Imagine taking a knife and churning it every slowly into heart. Envision the stabs of pain which would wash through your body, drown you in torment and throw you into a world of anguish and hell. That is the sort of hurt which coursed through the soul of Saiko in the moment that she sensed "his" spiritual presence on The Moon Base. Of all places for "him" to show up, why her sector? Fate must be utterly cruel for that one.

Yet -- The Mistress of The Glum would hold her ground against this new golden challenger. As much as she wanted to run away from this, there was no point in doing so when the path she was on had been destined for such hardships and heartache. Therefore, because of this deep rooted sentiment,

an explosion of plum energy erupted all around The Archduch*ess's body. Those oceanic eyes soon turned to violet and the mask of the melancholy had been adorned upon the woman.

With the

death of her fallen comrades, The Mistress Of The Glum would place one knee down on the ground and give a silent prayer to their demise. While she was still a betrayer; Saiko did not much desire to see the souls she led down the path of war become so callously butchered and skewered. They were merely following her orders and to have that weight of their lives on her shoulders was a belief which fueled her to tap deeper into the prowess of Death's Energy. For along the edges of Saiko's violet aura did the color of shade bled on the outlines of this flaming energy. This was to represent the augmented state of being that her DE Force entered into after consuming the atmosphere of death which coated The Moonbase like a choking plague.

'No.'

That single thought and action entered her mind as The Maiden Of Glum faded from her position and forcibly placed her right hand upon the throat of Tsubasa. In doing so, she would halt his

bloody assault in mid motion and seek to slam him through multiple structures before stopping the carter of an isolated section of The H Sector. In the process, she'd save roughly half of the remaining Shadow Fall operatives on the field and spare them his blade.

In the process of doing so they would then be allowed to leave this hellish zone and spread out to other sections on the moon. As, at this point, this battle was going to be solely between the two of them. With each of these demonic beast strangling the life out of everything in sight, their golden and plum energies would do the dance of death and scatter throughout the base; strangling and choking the life out of all those who remained.

But Saiko cared not for that. There was a question which needed answering and, as much as it

pained her to look this man in the eyes, she could not avert her devoid and lifeless gaze from it. So, no other choice was available but to oblige and give him the answer that he so sought.

"....is that anyway to greet an old friend, Tsubasa? Oh, that hurts...."

Despite not moving her lips, the voice of Saiko echoed in the area around the two devils. This was the art of telepathy and it reflected the sounds of The Glum Maiden's soul. And was it ever filled with a glum, dry and depraved sense of humor. For at the end of that dialogue did a coarse chuckle exit the spirit of the half-blooded shinigami. She was sickeningly amused by how much grief life sent her and pondered if some sentiment force in the universe loved to see her in pain.

Regardless, the time for such absent minded thoughts wasn't now. There was still something to follow-up on with his question.

"....I do not recall a mission ever being placed like that on your head from my faction. We've had no interest in the Unabara family or yourself since Iceland. While I may have clashed against your daughter, I opt'd not to pursue because I am still indebted to you."

Though, as she Zanpukto was pointed her

heart, a brief glimpse of Ash would fade into her mind. She could feel the killing intent behind everything Tsubasa said -- and it angered The Maiden ever so slightly. Enough for her face to begin to curl up into a scowl and push past the feelings of nostalgia, grief and anxiety to utter these resolute words:

"I still consider your family and you as good to me. But....point your sword to me again and I will not hesitate to extinguish the light of life from out of your eyes. I've got something to live for, and as much as it is painful to exist, I will not let my life be so carelessly put out by any single force for that purpose...."

With that, the chokehold Saiko placed on Tsubasa would grow ever stronger and she would seek to slam into the earth once more in order to get her point across. This smashing sensation yielded enough impact behind it to make the entire base around them shake with energy and was enough to get the resolution of her determination across. There were many powerful feelings for this man that swirled around in her head, but she would draw the line at her own life.

For now, however, Saiko would merely watch would The Pale Rider would do from this point. As there was nothing left to do but gauge his reaction to the responses that he had given her. And, in her mind, there was only two things that could happen: the first is that he could find the answers satisfactory and leave. While, the second, would lead to further bloodshed and conflict if it did not.

So, only mother time could tell which hand he would choose. And, for his sake, Saiko would hope he'd make the right decision and not force her to raise her hand any further....