Yuki's Problem
The setup: Yuki has spent the last couple of days in a sort of distracted state. She's been pleasant enough, and outwardly, not much seems amiss. Angel, however, would have noticed; Yuki spends more time practicing Kendo, and has barely drawn anything, even though her sketchbook is with her almost constantly. A quick peek at it reveals something more - where you would ordinarily see bright, happy images of you, her, Bart, Deidre and the others, these that are there now are far darker; demons like the ones she drew from Illiyana's descriptions, several twisted pictures of Mojo and the 6-armed woman, and a few that are truly disturbing, though vague and undefined, like she drew them from some half-remembered nightmare (there are even doodles in her journal, if you're feeling particularly snoopy and detective-like). When pressed, she will offer up some vague reassurances or other that she is all right, but she knows you know better. She eventually becomes frustratingly taciturn and withdrawn on the subject.
When Angel finally decide that she's had enough of that nonsense and decides to confront her friend about it (and I know she would, even without the benefit of Angel's diary), you find her out in the yard, boken in hand, working over the wooden training dummy she constructed. She is sweating and breathing hard, and looks like she's been at it for the better part of an hour. Her focus is so tight that she won't even register Angel's presence until she actually says something. When Yuki is aware of her, she makes one final attack on the dummy, screaming as she takes its head off. As the head skitters away, Yuki drops to her knees, driving the sword into the ground.
The action picks up here, with Yuki leaning on her sword, trying to catch her breath.
Angel: Angel looks surprised, perhaps bordering on
shocked, but moves closer to Yuki. "Are you alright?"
she asks with concern, then immdiately frowns. "No,
you're not. Yuki, what's wrong?"
Yuki: *starting to master her breathing and
emotions, she looks up at you* I thought I was over it...
Angel: *feeling things a a bit safer at the moment,
steps up to give her a hug*
Angel: Over what? *she asks quietly*
Yuki: That stuff with Mastermind...*her
hold on you tightens a little* I had put it out of my head
for a while, then I started drawing those demons for
Illiyana...
Angel: *nods* It's okay... he's gone.
Yuki: I know...*shivering slightly* I was
still in his head. I...I felt him die...
Angel: *Not that Yuki can see it, but Angel's eyes go
wide. It feels like she stops for a moment, then her hug
tightens*
Yuki: When we all went back outside, I
saw that void in the sky closing...I cast my mind into
it...*she looks up to where she remembers it to have
been, using the pause to gather herself*
Angel: *Angel lets go and steps back one step so
see can look at Yuki, but her hands slid down Yuki's
arms until they come to her hands and Angel clasps
them*
Yuki: *she takes them, kissing them in a
'thank you' manner, then looks Angel in the eyes. For
the first time, you see Yuki truly terrified* It was the
darkest thing I have ever felt. It was like being in the
mind of Satan himself...
Yuki: No...it was darker than that...
Angel: *Angel listens, completely unsure of what to
do or say*
Angel: *After a few seconds she ventures hesitantly*
Perhaps... you should talk to someone? Like maybe...
Doctor Grey?
Yuki: *shakes her head* I talked to
Professor Xavier right after it happened. Even he didn't
know what it was...
Angel: That's not quite what I meant...
Angel: *Her hands tighten arond Yuki's, and she
seems to get a bit of courage for confrontation* You're
troubled. This has been going on for days.
Angel: It doesn't seem to me like you know how to
handle it.
Yuki: I thought I could handle anything
after everything that happened with Mojo...
Yuki: But this was even worse
Angel: *Angel nods slowly, looking at Yuki
expectantly*
Yuki: *her eyes start to well up; she's
losing it* What do you do when Hell itself tells you "Not
yet, little one...?"
Yuki: Not yet...
Yuki: *she starts to sink back to the
ground unless you catch her. she holds on to you like if
she lets go, she'll fall off the world*
Angel: *Angel looks worried and a bit scared for
Yuki. After a few moments she finally figures something
out.* "Don't believe it. Mastermind was messing in our
heads. Whoever he was working for has to be able to
do the same, to have controlled him. It's a lie.
Angel: *She catches Yuki and hugs her tight again*
It was a lie.
Yuki: A lie...I hope to God it was...
Angel: *Angel sounds Very sure of what she's
saying* It was, nothing else makes sense. It was just
trying to scare you. Maybe because you managed to do
what no one else could.
Angel: It was just a lie.
Yuki: *something happens at this moment.
In her greif, Yuki loses some of her control of her
power, and you get a feeling in your head...you get the
sense of dread that Yuki had at the moment she touched
the alien mind, and what it sounded like when it spoke to
her*
Angel: *Angel shuts her eyes tight and makes sure
she doesn't drop Yuki* It's a lie... don't listen... trying to
scare us
Yuki: *Yuki starts, realizing belatedly
what's happening. She touches your face and the voices
fade as she regains her control* I'm sorry, Angel-san...I
didn't mean...
Angel: *Angel's heart beat is deifnately going faster,
but she shakes her head and looks down*
Angel: It's okay
Yuki: *Yuki attempts to again compose
herself, taking Angel's earlier words to heart* A lie...it
must have been
Angel: *Angel nods, but still looks flustered*
Yuki: *Yuki falls into a meloncholy mood
as a memorey returns to her* That was the same thing
that happened when I firstt realized I had powers...
Angel: *Gives her a cautionary questioning look*
Yuki: I was so excited that I could read
people's thoughts that I told this boy, Kenji, that I could
do it...
Yuki: when I tried to tell him what he was
thinking, something happened, and I lost control of it...
Yuki: I attacked his mind instead, and I
erased it...
Angel: Woah
Angel: *looks at Yuki trying to get a sense of how
she is now*
Yuki: *her voice is a little unsteady, but she
continues* That's why I don't usually do it without
someone's permission...it's just as scary for me as it
would be fore them
Angel: *nods understandingly* Yuki *she puts her
hand on Yuki's arm* you didn't hurt me. Okay?
Yuki: *A wan smile* I'm glad. I don't
know what I would do if I ever did...
Yuki: *she hugs Angel and finally lets it
go*
Angel: *Angel smiles weakly* Come on, you're
soaked, you should get changed before you catch a
cold.
Angel: *add:* out here
Yuki: *nods, picking up the sword* All
right. *she looks at you* Thank you, Angel-san...for
everything
Angel: *Angel looks back steadily* You did such
for me first. I can only return the...
Angel: *she stops, then tilts her head slightly* Best
Friends?
Yuki: *A genuine smile as she mimics
Angel's head tilt* For as long as you can stand me
Angel: *laughs*
Angel: *puts her arm around Yuki's shoulder and
starts heading inside* Compared to my brother's,
you're cake!
Angel: *brothers
Yuki: Your brothers and my father...*stage
shiver* THAT would be scary
Angel: *chucles slightly at the thought* Or
interesting...
Yuki: *Holds up her cell phone* Dad's on
speeddial, if you'd like to ask...
Angel: *Laughs again* No no!
Yuki: Maybe for Christmas...? *the smile
is wry*
Angel: *rolls eyes*
Angel: Though... Dad says he's met your father.
Yuki: *the famous questioning eyebrow*
Has he now?
Angel: Turns out he served in his police guard...
escort... entourage... oh whatever it's called!
Yuki: *Mock indignance* My father never
tells me anything...well, except for 'no'
Angel: *snorts as she tries to hold in a snicker*
Angel: That's not true
Angel: I specifically heard him tell you he was proud
of you.
Yuki: *blushes as she smiles at that* Hai,
he did
Angel: *smiles*
Yuki: In truth, it was a bit of a surprise to
hear it
Angel: *As they enter their room, Angel looks Yuki
oer again, trying to decide if she reallyis okay right now.
Then she grabs a towel and throws it at Yuki*
Yuki: *stands there for a second as it sits
on the side of her head* a surprise attack...that is war...
Angel: *laughs, and jumps away*
Yuki: *Angek takes a rapid-fire barrage of
pillows in the side as she tries to escape*
Angel: It was meant for your shower, but if you'd
rather try to catch me...? *grins with a twinkle in her
eye*
Yuki: *grins* You are SO going down
Angel: *eeps and flies out of the room*
Yuki: *grabs a pillow and flies after you,
yelling* Get back here and take your lumps!
Angel: *is waiting around a corner with a blanket,
which she catches Yuki in, wraps it once, then takes off
again, laughing*
Yuki: *says something in Japanese and
grabs for you as she persues*
Yuki: I should tell my dad on you!
Angel: Oh please! *calls out from down the hall* At
least wait until I actually DO something. *flys back*
Angel: You know, something like this! *picks Yuki
up as she flies by and takes her back into the room and
dumps her summarily on the floor of the bathroom*
Yuki: Physical assault on the personage of
the daughter of a duely appointed ambassador to the
host country is a severe crime...and the punishment is...
Yuki: *water to the head*
Angel: Ahhh!
Yuki: *Yuki blinks twice, then falls
backward, laughing*
Angel: *looks at Yuki with a half rueful smile as she
shakes off what water she can* Oh, we SHALL finish
this later
Angel: *sticks out her tounge playfully, then heads
out*
Yuki: I await you on the field of battle!
*takes off her clothes and hits the shower (yay, real
clothes!)
Yuki: (Yuki disappears for a time after her
shower.Later that night, there is a wrapped present on
your bed, addressed to you. When you open it, you find
a fully painted portrait of you, complete with angel
wings. The bottom of the picture is signed 'With Love,
Yuki.' Your roomie is fast asleep when you find it,
sleeping peacefully.)