tvklogs | Justified Self-Defense

WHO: Jin Kisaragi and Arturia!Saber
WHEN: August 12, Dark Hour
WHERE:Outside the Bayview Hotel
SUMMARY: Jin gets attacked and ends up biting off more than he can chew. Fortunately, help happens to be nearby!
RATING: PG-13 for language.

Once again, the clock struck midnight and the world was plunged into the depths of the Dark Hour. Once again, Jin Kisaragi withdrew to the safety of the Bayview Hotel to wait it out.

Only this time it wasn't completely safe. No sooner had the doors closed behind Jin than a pair of Shadows leaped out of the...well, the shadows and attacked.

"What the hell?!" Reacting quickly, Jin raised his sheathed katana to block, then rolled out of the way of the other Shadow. "I thought this place was safe!"

Moving back to put the Shadows in between the door and himself, Jin assumed a fighting stance. When one of the Shadows attacked, he knocked it backwards with a jump kick -- but it wasn't enough to force the door open.

"Dammit," Jin muttered. "Am I really gonna have to lure them out?" He didn't wait for an answer to that question, though -- he sprinted for the door, pushed it open, and ran back out into the street. The Shadows followed...and unfortunately for Jin, many more emerged from the spaces between the buildings and nearby alleys.

After a few minutes of kicks, sheath smacks, and slices, Jin found himself surrounded. For every Shadow he struck down, two more seemed to take their place. The situation was bad, and only seemed ready to get worse.

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Straying far from the hotel was a risk in itself for Saber in her current condition, the cut along the side of her stomach healing slowly. It wasn't like when she was a Servant, wounds instantaneously sealing themselves with streams of prana. It reminds her of what it was like to be human all of those years ago.

Not that she was injured often, but when it happened, she found herself grateful when she recovers.

So she took to watching the action from the window of her hotel room. Not often did they attack near the hotel, but tonight was different. Almost as though someone was experiencing the same level of luck as a Lancer she once knew. Seeing Jin struggle to hold his own only brought her to her feet.

Within moments, she was outdoors in her blue vestments and chestplate, her own katana-like blade in hands. Breaking through the mob that was already formed with ease, she stands at his side with slightly agitated expression along her face.

"Do you require the aid of another?"

Jin was just wondering how he was going to get out of this mess when he saw the other warrior arrive and cut a path through the cluster of Shadows.

"I could have handled this myself," he grumbled. It was pretty clear, though, that that was merely an effort to preserve his pride. He wanted to believe that he could handle these Shadows singlehandedly, but he understood somewhere deep down that this person -- whose voice sounded inexplicably familiar, to boot -- was his best hope at getting out of this alive, much as he hated relying on another person.

"But if you insist, you take those." Jin motioned to one side, where half of the Shadows were gathered. "I'll get the rest."

With that, Jin leaped in, not waiting for a response, cutting down a pair of Shadows with =iai strikes.

"Regardless if you could or not, I am here. Please accept my help for now."

Shifting the hilt of the blade within a gauntlet covered hand, her head turned to look towards the half he indicated. Easily done, she mused, as she glanced at the other half out of the corner of her eye.

"Right." A simple push of her toes and she barreled towards the group, turning her upper body just enough to have pain across her face. Brief, it faded after the first strike, replaced due to instinct of combat.

"How experienced are you with working with another?" Calling out over her shoulder towards him.

"If you have time to ask that, you have time to fight harder!" came Jin's response.

Jin, meanwhile, found himself in the middle of the group of Shadows he was facing, but he wasn't worried. He spun hard, the tails of his coat fanning out and causing the Shadows to slink back, then drew his katana. He quickly cut through one, then dropped to his hands to kick out at one behind him.

"Very well."

Some people are skilled enough with the blade to speak and attack. Saber had grown use to shouting commands, giving cries of support to her fellow knights as they drew towards their enemy in battle. Her movements were sluggish, but even with that, the expertise of combat was natural.

Each movement her blade made was one with the full intent to kill her foe. Even with overwhelming odds, she still was stronger than any of them.

"Have you fought them before?"

Jin clenched his teeth. Was this person really so complacent as to try to hold a conversation with him while they were fighting/

"No," came the reply. Yet, for someone who had never fought Shadows before, Jin was clearly holding his own now that he had fewer enemies to worry about. Getting himself out of the middle and putting his back to a wall, he goaded the Shadows on, then, when they entered close range...

"Sekkajin!"

Jin unleashed an unholy fury of sword and sheath.

"Impressive tactic."

Now, she doesn't sound entirely impressed by it. No sarcasm in her words either, perhaps a bit too focused on her goal of eliminating as many Shadows as she can possible. The sooner she finishes her side, the sooner she can assist this other.

"Is that your preferred blade then?"

Just how much longer was she going to persist with questions. "No," came the response, once again.

Despite what he just said, he seems to possess tremendous skill with the katana, as he slices a pair of Shadows to ribbons. Either he's lying, or he uses a specific sword.

"This is not my own either."

Another foe sliced easily through before she turns to face him, a satisfied smirk on her face. Confident with this swarm, she'll continue.

"I wonder if this realm will return our rightful blades to us once more. I would do anything for Caliburn or even Excalibur."

At the mention of the name "Excalibur," Jin hesitated for a fraction of a second -- all it took for one Shadow to get its grubby hands on him. Jin took a slap to the side, which hurt a surprising amount.

"Ngh!" Clutching his side with his free hand for a moment, he beat the Shadow back with his now-sheathed katana. Fortunately, there weren't many left.

The hesitation doesn't go unnoticed, leaving her only to further question him entirely. Seeing the trouble he got into though dispels the thought of discussion as Saber turns her attention straight towards the surrounding Shadows. Disregarding the remainder of her own, she sprints towards the ones around Jin.

Jin saw Saber running toward him and clenched his teeth. "What the hell are you doing?! I told you to take care of the rest of these things!"

As he spoke, he moved back into the fray, punctuating each italicized word with a sword slash. Two more Shadows fell to Jin's blade.

"Right. That is what you said. Why are you doubting yourself in the midst of combat?"

Saber doesn't really need to listen to him (listening to a man when she knows how to fight? unheard of!) as she continues her dash, taking another one out on her path.

"We may wish to retreat if this continues going on in this manner. Our opponent can seemingly be infinite during this time."

Jin raised his sword to block one attack, then dashed right through a small group of Shadows, swinging his sword once. As he sheathed it, they split apart and disintegrated.

"I found the first two of these things inside the hotel! Who says they'll stay outside?!"

Justified Self-Defense

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