THE GREATEST SHOW UNEARTHED

[whocouldwinarabbit]

WHO: The HABIT whocouldwinarabbit and his eighteen lucky Rabbits.
WHERE: Yankee Stadium.
WHEN: Tuesday, November 13 afternoon onward.
WARNINGS: Not for the children. Graphic murder expected.
SUMMARY: THUNDERDOME.
FORMAT: Whatever our contestants would like.

"Rise and fucking shine, campers!" blasts the loudspeaker.

Eighteen bodies. Not a bad turnout. He's hauled them into the locker rooms to wake up together, tied balloon strings to their wrists, the balloons Skittles colors. Angora, some say in sharpie, Flemish Giant. And all have a smile drawn on, bunny ears on top.

"You're probably wondering what the hell you're doing here, right? Wonder no more! Welcome to the Trials, rabbits. Time to feed the HABIT."

The crowd roars in response, their fists in the air. They're not nearly enough to fill the stands, not hardly, the count's barely crawling up to a hundred -- but it's the impassive eyes of the cameras set up around the stadium that matter. These idiots are just for the noise of it.

"Now, see, the rules to this game are real simple. All you gotta do is kill everybody else. That's it! What could be easier, right? Knife in the brain. Sword in the guts. I don't care how you do it, just do it, meat. Look at it this way: the Porter'll bring you back good as new. So... what's keeping you? Besides, hey... the winner gets a prize."

HABIT laughs tinnily through the sound system, over the sound of the crowd. "If one of you makes a break for it -- go ahead! I encourage it, make your move -- but you will notice that there's no escape. Can't have you spoiling my fun, now can we? The good people up there in the stands paid twenty-nine ninety-nine for a show, and by fucking golly, they're gonna get it."

"Now... if you'll look at the balloons for your group assignments. Flemish Giants, why don't you come on out here? No, no, hey, don't be shy. Being first is a big ol' honor. So show us some blood!"

He hits the music, and opens the doors.

Comments

[xxii_thefool]

[Gripping the sword's hilt with both hands, Minako faces Kanaya with tears flowing freely down her cheeks.]

I'm... I'm really sorry for this.

[Her voice is quiet and shaky.]

No matter what's happened in the past... you deserve better. I'm sure of it.

[The proof, for Minako, is in how desperately Kanaya insists that she doesn't.

But even so, Minako still can't see a way out for all three of them.

Even in the face of Kanaya's urging to hurry, she falters, thoughts spinning wildly. At the very least, she has to try to make it as quick and clean as possible, but how--? Go for the heart? Minako's not at all certain she'd be able to hit it, and looking at Kanaya she can't even be sure that she's built like a human inside to begin with - trying it might just end up causing her unnecessary pain.

...gruesome as it will be, the best thing is probably...

She swallows hard, draws in an unsteady breath, and visualizes the card in her mind:

Death.]

...Thanatos, please help me...

[She raises the sword with both hands and quickly closes the space between herself and Kanaya, swinging the blade horizontally with all her Persona-enhanced strength and aiming for just above the place where neck and shoulders meet.]

[gandere]

[ Why? Rin wants to choke out the question, but instead her throat constricts in on itself as reality continues it's forced invasion. This girl with the darker skin bothers her in ways she didn't think were still possible. How she goads, no, guides Minako to do what is necessary.

Necessary.

It's Rin's instinct. Whether she wants to admit to it or not, that crest that lays dormant within her arm operates in such a way. If Rin were to be mortally wounded, it might make her body react in a way that was painful just to prolong her life a little longer. She's read up about it before, but to think of it happening to her in this place.

No, she can't allow it. Just like she can't allow Minako to raise that sword so elegantly and... ]

No.

[ Her voice is weak, but she can't turn away now. No, this is something Rin Tohsaka must watch take place. ]

[glowsferatu]

[ she'd shake her head at minako's comment about what she deserves, but there isn't time. instead, she stands up straighter, holding her chin up and steeling herself for the deathblow.

or, at least, what she hopes will be a deathblow. she's still not entirely sure this will work, if her undeath will present some special obstacle to it.

her head flies with a green trail behind it, before hitting the ground with a dull thud. the body takes a moments to collapse, her glow slowly fading from her skin until its left as the grey more typical of her species, jade spewing from the wound.

it did work. kanaya maryam is finally dead again. ]

[xxii_thefool]

[Minako stumbles back a few steps, then her legs give out from underneath her and, with a sob, she drops to her knees. One of her hands leaves the hilt of the sword to cover her mouth, partly out of sheer horror, partly in some kind of an effort to keep herself from throwing up.

She's seen death, but being the instrument of it is something altogether different.]

[gandere]

[ Rin doesn't cry easily; she never has and never will. The time she has was in a foreign country and there's no way the other party remembers it as well as she did. In fact, she'll deny it if it's ever brought up. So she can't cry whenever the strange-colored blood spills out from her form.

In fact she can't even bring herself to look away from the collapsed body to acknowledge Minako. Not right now. Because the inevitable was that she was going to use that very same weapon against her.

This is why it was so stupid to get close to people. Really. ]

[xxii_thefool]

[Somehow, Minako doesn't throw up. Instead, she scrubs the tears away from her eyes with the side of her hand, not that it helps, and sucks in another deep, shuddering breath.

There's no time. She knows what she has to do next. There's nothing left but to do it.

Still kneeling on the turf, the sword held awkwardly halfway across her lap, she blinks back her tears and looks up towards Rin, miserably.]

Rin... I'm really sorry... for leaving things unfinished, but...

[gandere]

You... You can't leave them unfinished.

[ Rin manages to say that much as she swallows her pride and turns her head to face Minako. There's reluctance in her expression as she softens up a bit. Because as much as she wants to be angry, she honestly just wants this to be over as quick as possible. ]

So go on, let's just finish this quick.

[ Before Archer notices she's missing. The last thing she wants is for him to be upset with Minako for eliminating her. ]

Right, the sooner things are taken care of, the better.

[xxii_thefool]

[That brings a fresh flood of tears to Minako's eyes that blinking fiercely does nothing to suppress. She nods, trying to smile and not succeeding at all.]

...yeah. You're right.

It isn't much, but... this will at least buy a little time. So...

[Still kneeling, she lifts the sword again, settling both hands once more firmly on its hilt and turning it around to touch the point to her chest.]

...find a way out, okay?

[gandere]

Wh...wha?

[ The word is sputtered out, then drawn out in a manner that properly displays her shock. This can't be happening. The tip of that sword covered in the blood of another isn't supposed to be pointed at it's killer.

No, it's rightful place is in the chest of Rin herself. So why? ]

What are you doing?! [ Her voice is more frantic than it should be because if Rin lives, then that means she's victorious. So she can't sit here and object to it. ] Well?! What are you doing?!

[xxii_thefool]

It's all right.

[Minako's hands tremble on the hilt of the sword, but her voice is surprisingly steady, and very soft.

She draws in a deep breath to brace herself.]

--I choose this fate of my own free will.

[And with those words, she yanks the sword's hilt hard towards her body, plunging the blade straight through herself.]

[gandere]

Stupid!

[ It comes out more of a frantic shriek than the scold she wishes it to be, as she forces herself to scramble to her feet. There were ways to increase her speed, but it never once dawns on her when she sees the light flicker in her eyes.

She chose this fate?

Why does anyone choose to die willingly? Even if Rin just a few seconds ago came to the realization that she will have to die today, it bothers her now that Minako is doing this. Who does she think she is forcing this on her? To see another person die before her in a bloody way; that marks three in the past month. ]

Stupid, stupid, stupid. [ Rin murmurs, caring little if Minako can actually hear the insults as her hands gently reach out for her arms. ] Hold on, maybe I can just heal this. I've performed that kind of miracle before, so I should be able to do it again.

[ It's a lie since there's no possible way she can do anything of the sort now, but it's alright to tell an untruth at a moment like this. Not really to Minako, to herself. ]

[xxii_thefool]

[Minako tries to pull the sword back out, but she only manages to dislodge the blade a few inches - bringing with it a rush of more blood from the already blood-drenched wound - before her strength gives out and she collapses the rest of the way to the ground.

She manages a tiny shake of her head at Rin's words, then shudders and squeezes her eyes shut. Marshaling one last effort, she forces out just a few more words, thick-voiced and quietly urgent.]

...Live... Rin...

[Then she's still.]