Non-Lethal? What's That?

The next morning, the four were standing in the coroner's office.

"There's something wrong with the Revenant you've brought in, though I'll admit I can't tell what, precisely." he said. "What I can tell you is that it very, very obviously does not match the ability you mentioned."

Yuruko frowned. "Do you still have it here?"

"I do. I was about to send it off for further analysis, but are you a… oh, what's the name. Phantasmology student?"

"Uh, I just call it Revenant research, but yeah. I'm a second-year."

"Then you probably know more about it than I do. Would you like to take a sample?"

In most countries, medical schools were limited to teaching only how to diagnose a Revenant's ability: no more than that. This type of paranoia allowed Xenocyclin's formula to only be known by fourth-year Revenant research students, and a program at Urasaria designed so that they usually dropped out before then anyhow.

Her microscope formed as he led her alone to the morgue. After taking a sample from the still-beating heart, she affixed it to a slide, slid it under the microscope, and examined the colonies. In her free time, she often took to perusing scientific articles, attempting to spread herself over concepts she still didn't know & could not for another two years. Still, she knew enough here.

"…they actually did put two colonies together?" She frowned, adjusting the lens. "What the fuck? They're supposed to both starve if you do that, it's why you can't host multiple Revenants."

"I was wondering that myself." he said. "I thought I had the ability wrong, or it was some multi-element Revenant."

"The actual Revenant isn't modified, is it?"

"Not by any traditional method, at least. You can't use CRISPR or TALENS, can you? I thought the Revenant destroys anything foreign."

Adjusting the lens again, she looked towards Serena in the office, and thought about how she probably wouldn't be able to understand any of this. She smiled a little, then felt guilty for having to reject her. "…I don't know. It should, but, uh…"

"Would you mind if I sent it off for further research?"

Yuruko nodded and they stepped back in to the office. He gestured to her, and her hands scrunched as she started speaking a little fast. "Um, it h-has multiple colonies. Whoever gave it t-to him fixed the um, stuff that normally happens when you -- try to have multiple Revenants."

"It was modified?" said Mia and Yuruko nodded.

"Um, like it's corrupted, yeah. It's two colonies, and they keep… they're not starving like they normally do. Like someone is trying to host multiple Revenants."

The coroner said: "It's very preliminary, still, but I'll send it away for further research. Their reproduction appears rather erratic - it's why I was unsure what the ability was. Their proportions kept shifting."

"Leave the room, please." said Mia.

He nodded and stepped out. Mia looked to Yuruko, a bit worriedly. "Someone's attempting to, er - host multiple Revenants, then?"

"Um, probably, yeah."

Mia frowned. "…it couldn't be Akira trying to - could it?"

"Who's Akira?" said Tuyuan.

(Mia relayed Magnus's conduits.) "…but they were separate hearts, not the same heart…"

"I still remember that." winced Serena. "Um, Yuruko cut in to a guy's chest last month, and he had two hearts."

"Metal." said Tuyuan. "Guess it would make sense, if it's just some... freak, or weirdo, or whatever. Maybe it is him."

Mia seemed to not be listening. "…it could be the stolen Revenants, then, but… if the ability is different… Yuruko, do you have any ideas?"

"… uh. Sorry, what did you say?"

"Wake up." prodded Tuyuan.

"Could it be the stolen Revenants?" said Mia.

"Um, maybe. I can go check again." said Yuruko and she nodded.

"Alright. Er, Serena - the next time we fight, I'd like to try something nonlethal. We may be able to ask them ourselves."

++++++

Near midnight, Serena received a text from Yuruko, asking if they could go somewhere outside & talk. When she came to the park and sat down on the bench, she saw Yuruko coming up a few minutes later. Unconsciously, Serena felt herself checking her expression to see if it was like that lesbian's: she had come out to Yuruko before asking her out.

"Hey." said Serena, scooting to let her sit down.

"Hey." muttered Yuruko, sitting down beside. Her hands scrunched. "…um. So, I know we haven't talked in the last few days, and I'm not sure how you're feeling, or..."

"Um, I'm doing fine."

Yuruko nodded. "And I know I, um -- it doesn't have anything to do with you, it's just that -- I already have a girlfriend. But I started… um, this was before you asked me out, too, and I started… looking over that, I-I guess. My relationship. A-And I realized that -- we're not really that -- and, u-um, I'm not sure if I'll break up with her or not, but… I-I mean, I've been thinking about it, a-and -- but there's some -- and I don't know if… I just wanted to let you know, I guess."

Serena didn't reply, but Yuruko noticed a few tears starting in her eyes. She continued. "But I m-might not break up with her, either, and -- I don't know, I-I just was hoping that you could, um… keep yourself open, I guess."

Back in highschool, most non-transgender girls who befriended Serena viewed her as a one-way confidante, partially because she was often emotionally available. She sensed it here, and instinctually she felt defensive. "Why? W-Why, so you c-can just say no again? I-I understood the first t-time, you d-don't need to keep trying to get my hopes u-up and-"

"-Serena, that's not what I… You know that's not what I-I meant. Right?"

"T-Then why did you even bring it up?!" Serena wiped her eyes. "I-I'm sick of putting my life o-on hold for other people, o-or people a-acting like I'm not even a real person, t-that I'm just some *thing* they can say anything to or a-ask anything about, and…" She filled her pocket with a tissue and blew in to it. "And I-I'm just sick of it, okay? I-If you want to just be friends, I can do that, but I'm sick of being treated like s-someone who doesn't have her own feelings to consider!"

Yuruko started sobbing. There were several points in her life, none of their specifics important, when she wondered if there was a missing portion of empathy in her: this did nothing to submerge that. "I-I'm sorry, I-I just thought that…" Tissues formed at her fingers, wiping her eyes. "…I-I wanted us to talk about something, a-and I didn't know what to s-say, a-and…"

Serena sniffled. A sense of guilt came over her and she did not like it. "…I-I'm sorry too, I-I just… s-sometimes I-I get reminded of things, and…"

Yuruko sat up. "…y-you're right that I-I shouldn't have told you. N-Not right now, a-at least. I'm s-sorry. A-And you know I don't want to t-treat you like t-that, either. You're my fr-- a-and I support you."

"…o-okay." Serena nodded. "U-Um. I k-know you d-didn't mean to hurt me, I-I'm sorry."

They sat there for a minute. Eventually, Yuruko said they should probably head back, and they began back up the path. Her right hand scrunching, she asked if they could talk about something else, and Serena nodded, still a bit upset.

"…um. Do you k-know when the next event is?" said Yuruko, referencing a videogame.

A soccer ball rolled out of the trees and on to their path. Instincts too quick for her mind, Serena scooped it up -

- and nothing happened.

"…um. Is there some soccer game going on?" she said and Yuruko shrugged.

"Maybe some kid kicked it over here."

Serena wiped her eyes and threw it back the way it came, seeming to walk slower. "U-Um, but probably Halloween, I guess."

"Are you gonna buy any of the new skins?"

"N-No, I need to save up." mumbled Serena. "I'm trying not to buy anything until my $50,000, and-"

- the keen end of a soccer ball smashed the back of her skull, pain staggering her forward -

" - Medicinal!" shouted Yuruko, throwing her hands to the ball -

- and sighing as it failed to turn liquid, the telltale sign of a Revenant. The ball flew back and behind, and as the two turned, readying for the second barrage -

- there, two hundred feet separating them and he, their foe; and as the sportsball flew towards Serena again -

" - Blackburn!" she grunted low, no care for her voice now -

- and streams of black fog filled the ball with helium, popping it in to a dozen pieces of white gore. The women laughed as they stepped forward, starting their surge ahead -

- and on the horizon, a second soccer ball formed at his boot. He kicked it forward, far swifter than the previous, and before Serena could react -

" - Medicinal!"

- a sweep of Yuruko's gloves forward; the Medicinal shield formed, and in to the sudden barrier smashed the ball - but its power had grown. A dozen razorblades grew from its shell, grinding and carving through the steel -

- and burst clear through; it shot to Serena with the speed of sound, slashing down her arms, leaving a crimson sprinkler as it spun down her hands -

- and flew with the speed of a goalie up and away. Yuruko kept her eyes up, readying for the next volley.

"Shit." winced Serena, fog filling her wounds. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a line of mosquitoes lining for her blood.

But above, the pertinent projectile began to fell upon them, and as the two hurtled forward to dodge -

- Serena screamed again as it slashed&cut down her back; and away it flew to its bearer again. With no time to waste, the women started their charge forward, Serena hobbling behind -

" - it's - stealing my fucking speed?!" she shouted, nothing but glare for her opponent on the horizon, fog repairing her favorite jacket.

"And - we gotta try to take this one alive -" winced Yuruko as she ran; but an idea struck her boots. She rushed ahead, path turning to rubber below as she ran, and as she took an arced leap up and landed -

- she was launched rapidly up as if by a trampoline; a set of monkeybars formed in her gloved grip, and as Serena hit the rubber behind -

- she was launched rapidly up with her former speed, the two climbing ahead now, a hundred feet from their foe. On the distance, they saw him kick the ball, projectile screaming up to them again, and as Serena readied to pop it -

- it fell suddenly to the ground, rolling below to where it had previously struck her, bathing in droplets of her red.

"Oh - n-no - c-c'mon!" shouted the man, utterly aghast, the two gaining distance every second.

"Good luck." chimed Yuruko, forming a final set of bars as she swept to the side, only fifty feet separating them and he now. Fog outstretched, Serena took a final swing, and cleared the clearing in a single bound; only a dozen feet separated she and he now -

- but behind, she heard the projectile screaming back towards her. She swept underneath -

- and laughed as the sharp end of the ball pierced her foe's chest, carving as vigorously as it had against the shield -

" - you aren't getting out that easily, dipshit!" shouted Serena, black fog filling the ball with blood -

- and down the ball fell limp&rigid, mosquitoes she knew were within now engorged on their own crimson supply. With a pant of desperation, the man turned and ran, and as Serena stomped in pursuit -

- she tripped and suddenly stumbled, concrete meeting her face as her former swiftness returned to her. With confusion in her eyes, she hurtled up and started her run again -

- but with perplexed eyes saw his own Revenant form behind him, chasing him as a white rabid dog -

- and pop suddenly in a dozen chunks of white gore. A second one formed on his shoulder, readyingy to slash his throat open -

- but turned and flew to Serena, seemingly of its own volition -

- and suddenly flew back to its hosts legs -

- and decapitated him below the ankles. A horrific shriek erupted from him as he skid and slid, leaving a crimson streak behind, Serena rushing over it as she ran ahead.

"That's how shitty a host you are!" she shouted, only a dozen feet away now - " - your own Revenant knows what a pathetic bitch you are!"

She drew within range, and as a third ball formed -

- with the speed of fog, black streams filled his nostrils with sleeping gas; and he fell unconscious below, leaving a laughing Serena, Yuruko catching up with her behind. Blackburn's fog half-filled his wounds, ensuring only unconsciousness and not death.

"Coolio." chimed Yuruko, and the two smiled. "Just gotta wait for him to wake up."

"…yeah." laughed Serena. "Just hope it doesn't kill him."

"Jinx." winked Yuruko. "But yeah, um… Guess we just gotta wait."

She formed a bench of stone in mid-air, and the two sat down together; but not too close.

An hour later, they saw him awake -

" - don't use your Revenant, asshole." grunted Serena as she crouched over, fog threatening his lips. "I can fill your throat up with knives."

"I won't." he panted. "What do you want?"

"Do you have two Revenants?" said Yuruko, crouching down.

"N-No. The person who… who may not have given me it, or maybe - they said one." He winced.

Serena frowned. "Why are you talking like that?"

"I don't know anything - about the woman or *man* that may or may not have given me this - and they - may or may not have come to a transient camp on the other side of town -"

- he shrieked and raised his hands, and in the next instant -

- his arms were shredded in to sheets by an unseen force, his legs suffering the same fate and rapidly moving up -

- and he was gone, shredded in to twelve strips. Out of his ears burst four seven-blade scissors, shooting with the speed of a shredder to the women's ears -

- and the keen seven ends pierced, burrowing in and through, yet left no wound; and were gone. The women shot up.

"What the fuck?" said Yuruko.

"Is that why he was talking like -"

'SCHIZOID.'

Serena tensed, and Yuruko a second after. She asked Yuruko if she heard that and the chemist nodded.

"W-We need to be really careful about w-what we say."

Serena nodded. "S-Somebody put that on him."

Yuruko took her phone out and started typing. "…o-okay. Just in case. R-Really hope this works, don't trigger, don't trigger…" She leaned over to Serena. A news article about the transient camp was on her phone.

Hesitantly Serena looked down. "…okay. Feels okay."

"F-Fuck." winced Yuruko. "This is l-like Cheap Trick or something. We need to somehow tell Mia, but…"

"U-Um. Yeah, maybe." Serena looked to the corpse and realized his earlier emphasis on one word. "Wait, I know the gender of who did it." She took her phone out and opened a drawing app.

"The gender?" said Yuruko, and was soon answered by the punk's art: the two burst in to laughter. "A-Are you fucking serious?!"

"I-I forgot the symbol!"

Yuruko laughed as Serena added a few hairs to the balls.