"Yeah. You got it. Keep talkin', your voice is helping to keep me anchored."
Orihime nodded once. She didn't try to get to her feet; she didn't need to stand to use her abilities, and she was tired. But this was important. Whatever his uncle had become, it could hurt a lot more people.
But more than that, she wanted to give Peter the closure he never got to have. If he had to literally kill his uncle... She couldn't bear to even think about the expression on his face if he had to do something so horrible.
"Shun'ou, Ayame." She squared her shoulders as she summoned the two spirits to her side. Her hands lifted and they moved to hover at both ends of Ben's abomination of a body. She couldn't fail at this. "I reject."
The gold light spanned into place, flickering at first, then strengthening with a soft glow as Orihime poured all of her soul and willpower into her shield.
She could feel that taint pushing back, fighting her. Whatever did this, it had done so with a fierce determination and willpower of its own. It made her angry just thinking about it. The real monster had hunted down Peter's uncle, twisted him, forced him to attack his own family.
For what?
Her brow dipped further as she frowned and tapped into that anger. It was completely unforgivable. All of it.
Concentrating, she shoved mentally back at the encroaching inky wrongness that seemed to poison the air and thicken it with darkness. And the source...the source...it was coming from the hole in Ben's body. She tightened her focus on that one spot and gave one good, solid push.
The invisible membrane burst, and the toxic miasma seemed to scatter. Black mist rose from the spidery legs, thin wisps at first, then thickening into plumes as the monstrous form was peeled back from reality and dispatched at her behest. Ben's agonized face, eyes closed, suddenly lost the taut lines of pain as he sighed.
With one last shuddering ripple, the spider creature was gone, and there was nothing left.
Just an old man laying face down on the rooftop, his graying hair stirred by the breeze. His finger twitched, and he slowly, slowly, lifted his head with a weary blink. "Well. Well I'll be..." His arms shook with effort as he struggled to rise. "You kids did it."
"YaaAaAaAayyyy..." Orihime smiled, her voice quavering. That was the last bit of power she had. As Ben rose, she toppled, completely exhausted.
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Orihime nodded once. She didn't try to get to her feet; she didn't need to stand to use her abilities, and she was tired. But this was important. Whatever his uncle had become, it could hurt a lot more people.
But more than that, she wanted to give Peter the closure he never got to have. If he had to literally kill his uncle... She couldn't bear to even think about the expression on his face if he had to do something so horrible.
"Shun'ou, Ayame." She squared her shoulders as she summoned the two spirits to her side. Her hands lifted and they moved to hover at both ends of Ben's abomination of a body. She couldn't fail at this. "I reject."
The gold light spanned into place, flickering at first, then strengthening with a soft glow as Orihime poured all of her soul and willpower into her shield.
She could feel that taint pushing back, fighting her. Whatever did this, it had done so with a fierce determination and willpower of its own. It made her angry just thinking about it. The real monster had hunted down Peter's uncle, twisted him, forced him to attack his own family.
For what?
Her brow dipped further as she frowned and tapped into that anger. It was completely unforgivable. All of it.
Concentrating, she shoved mentally back at the encroaching inky wrongness that seemed to poison the air and thicken it with darkness. And the source...the source...it was coming from the hole in Ben's body. She tightened her focus on that one spot and gave one good, solid push.
The invisible membrane burst, and the toxic miasma seemed to scatter. Black mist rose from the spidery legs, thin wisps at first, then thickening into plumes as the monstrous form was peeled back from reality and dispatched at her behest. Ben's agonized face, eyes closed, suddenly lost the taut lines of pain as he sighed.
With one last shuddering ripple, the spider creature was gone, and there was nothing left.
Just an old man laying face down on the rooftop, his graying hair stirred by the breeze. His finger twitched, and he slowly, slowly, lifted his head with a weary blink. "Well. Well I'll be..." His arms shook with effort as he struggled to rise. "You kids did it."
"YaaAaAaAayyyy..." Orihime smiled, her voice quavering. That was the last bit of power she had. As Ben rose, she toppled, completely exhausted.